


Dust

by BottledUpWishes



Category: Saiyuki, Saiyuki Gaiden
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2018-08-08 08:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 57,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7750342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BottledUpWishes/pseuds/BottledUpWishes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is no mistake that the Heavens envision Seiten Taisei in celestial clothing and fierce expression, and no one's been able to learn who coined his title as the Great Sage Equaling Heaven for a good reason.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Sliver

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work inspired lanternbunnies' post on tumblr titled "Theory on Goku and Seiten Taisei - Golden Eyes", and my contribution to it.

 

_Divine roots crack way_

_As gold light pours out my eyes,_

_Alerting all life_

_Mountain flowers and fruit grow_

_Rivers meet at Heaven's pillar_

 

Those beyond mortal knowledge reside in the heavenly world. To their mortal neighbours, they are venerable beings encompassing mercy, strength, wisdom, charity, and the ultimate power of the mind. Theirs is an authority unchallenged. Unrivaled by the Lower World.

 

But an earth-born creature clawed his way in through brute strength. A powerful creature that lived his life carefree and leisurely. He crushed stone with his fists and ground adamant into fine powders with his teeth.

 

Yet, for all his power, he did not spend his time terrorising the tigers and fiends weaker than him. He elicited no joy in them, preferring to leave them be and go about his business. But when approached by something wishing to challenge, he made quick work of them, delighted to put them in their place and severely humble them in his presence. A 'king' challenged by the mere livestock of lowly peasants

 

He harboured no dislike for many humans near his living space. They shared the fruit and flowers surrounding them in peace, and exchanged music and stories under bright silvery moons. Humans, and some demons, revered him as a spirit of the Earth, and in return of their hospitality, he provided his own means of protection. Even the most orthodox of Buddhist monks, fearful of his unnatural sun-coloured eyes, displayed some form of deference towards him.

 

_A god._

 

He was like a god.

 

But of course, for this god-like creature, anything he wielded broke in one swing, leaving him surrounded by a scatter of broken weapons. His brute strength went unmatched by any other being, but the impact of a weapon added to the thrill, and he found himself at a loss of what to do. Then, one day, whilst watching others rake away at their fields, his endless loop of frustration came to an end. Of course mundane weapons could not hold a candle to him, they were just that – mundane. Creations of humanity, all powerless against the Earth they flourished on.

 

He needed an incredible sort of weapon. Something unlike humanity's. Through the local monks' grapevine, the clever creature heard of such creations residing at the bottom of the Eastern sea, in the Eastern Dragon King's grand palace full of notable treasures and relics. Surely among grand collections of divine artefacts, a dragon would have weapons, no? With swift word to those he cohabited with, the creature went on his way, promising to return with a display of strength so grand they'd celebrate his return with food tenfold.

 

The Eastern Dragon King's palace resided deep beneath crystal clear waters far from civilisation.  Water supposedly permanently purified by sun pillars pouring down from Heaven itself.  It was territory never meant for mundane beings, but the creature effortlessly dissolved the border between him and that celestial dimension, disrupting the plane's still waters.  The next time the creature opened his eyes, he floated across its waters, hair weaving in them like seaweed, and seeing ocean as far as his keen eyes could see, with the ocean floor entirely visible.  He grimaced, looking around.  Land didn't exist here, and he was no amphibious wonder.  The Earth birthed him, and to be cut away from it left a salty taste in his mouth, but he knew he wouldn't ever leave without getting what he wanted.

 

The waters rumbled, and a serpentine creature arched its way to the surface.  Meeting the Earth-child's eyes, the serpentine creature bared its fangs, regarding him no more than an intruder.  It struck down, intent on swallowing him, but he fended off its attack with his bare hands, forcing its jaw open more than natural with no notice to its writhing or the mandible's snapping.

 

Just then, bright light erupted from below him, and a blunt force propelled him into the air, seeming to never end in length and height.  He twisted around, gripping a red stave that wouldn't stop growing, dragging his palm along like rope burn.  Abruptly, it stopped, and sharply shrunk down into the water's depths, straight into the Dragon King's palace.  

 

 


	2. A Piece

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's 03:30 am

_I wade through the sea_

_Thus a drop gently to me_

_From the wave's keen claw_

_The ocean rolls over land_

_And I am soon washed away_

 

 

The Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, Goko, was a sight to behold. A god with the blood of a dragon, he stood at six metres with ash-green scaled skin, pale crimson hair, and watchful, glaciial eyes, wearing robes of ivory and gold. He armed himself with an army sword strapped to his waist, where his clawed fingers curved around its hilt. He eyes never left the intruding golden-eyed creature's, and the two watched each other in silence, neither threatened by the other.

 

"Who are you?"

 

The creature shook water off himself, raking a hand through his soaked brown hair.  "I'm here for a weapon."

 

Goko narrowed his eyes, stiffening his posture upon hearing the clack of his wife's sandals, and she soon stood next to him.

 

She raised an eyebrow. “A weapon?”

 

“Any other weapon in my possession will break.” Approaching the king, the creature spoke calmly. His claws curled around his fingers, and upon picking up an alternate stave, demonstrated his monstrous strength by shattering it into dozens of pieces with little effort. He kicked remnants of it toward Goko, his eyes on his wife. Nothing of ill-intent. More like a child scoping out the more lenient of two parents. Goko stepped forward, blocking his view.

 

“If you cannot control your own strength, it is best to keep it to yourself.”

 

The creature made a face. “That's not what I asked.”

 

His wife once more stepped to his side. “Goko... his eyes...”

 

He didn't see the relevance. Appearances didn't register as something to focus on when dealing with an intruder, but he felt his stare on him, forcing him to look.

 

Gold eyes.

 

Goko reached for his sword, drawing it barely in time to notice that the Heretic disappeared. He saw a figure in his peripheral vision, managing to deflect the creature's sudden attack. His kick vibrated up the sword, through its hilt, and carved into bone, shattering Goko's shoulder, and leaving torn sinew in its wake. He gritted his teeth, he felt the arm go limb and useless, right at the same time the creature disappeared once more. Goko threw the sword into his other hand, spun on his heel, and braced for an attack from behind.

 

One hand weighed Goko's blade down, the other covered his face, claws puncturing and dragging down his scaled skin, and one claw slipped down into his right eye. His blade split in two, and the sudden snap betrayed Goko's balance, allowing the golden-eyed creature to slam him onto his back, still keeping his hand on Goko's face. His hand never moved, and at the slightest movement Goko made, that claw dug deeper in what was left of his eye.

 

In his own way, the Heretic hailed the air in the palace. His power and presence locked into the air he breathed, overpowering anything and anyone within his vicinity. All the while he wore a calm expression, indicating nothing **but** control over the situation. His situation. Without so much as a direct look in Goko's eyes, the creature put his weight on his hand, propelling off Goko's face and now standing on the other side of the room. He cracked his neck, flicking blood off his claws.

 

Staring at the ceiling, Goko felt blood ooze down his cheek. Maybe it was the sheer shock of the power difference, but he could swear he felt the remnants of his eye still mushed in its socket. Without thinking, he put a still hand over the injury, half-expecting his vision to return to normal, but when he pulled his hand away, warm blood covered it.

 

Goko, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea and the Heavenly Eastern Army's sole authority, was not a man used to wounds. Mixed with the throbbing sting left in his socket, he felt his chest throat tighten. That... beast stood perfectly poised, with the Dragon King's blood drying on his claws, and an unreadable expression.

 

Fear? Humiliation? What the hell did Goko feel? His heart raced in his throat. Every single cell in his body tense. If he moved, he knew that beast would pounce without a sound, and that'd be the end of it. Brimstone burned behind his breastbone, and Goko became acutely aware of those golden eyes watching him.

 

Swallowing, Goko forced himself up, resisting the urge to reach for his revolver. Still, he could tell the beast focused on Goko's holster, just waiting for him to reach for it.

 

“Satisfied with your little display?”

 

“You were going to attack.”

 

Goko didn't argue. In the sense of a fight, the beast had full right to act first, but in the sense of wanting something from the dragon, the beast couldn't still expect to get a weapon of sorts, could he?

 

The beast's eyes trailed to the snapped sword. “So something like that... wouldn't work either.”

 

At Goko's side, his wife gripped the edges of her sleeves with shaky hands. “Then the staff will work.” With a tight voice, she gestured to the staff, held up like a thick, decorative pillar that reached the palace's ceiling.

 

The beast flexed his claws, joints cracking. Slowly, he nodded. “It didn't break when I grabbed it, so it could work.”

 

Goko whipped his head to her, his arm stinging at the slight shift of his weight. His wife never met his sharp stare, instead still speaking to the beast.

 

The beast lifted the pillar up, holding it without any trouble. He inspected it like a cat, humming to himself. Goko thought he'd start to sniff it, but he turned his attention back to Goko's wife, curiosity akin to a child's on his face. “So how's it work?”

 

“How's it work?”

 

Goku reached up, his good arm on his wife's shoulder to help him sit up. Goko ignored the blood falling into his mouth, tasting a rivulet of it run past his lip. “Say what you wish of it, and it'll oblige.”

 

The beast's eyes widened. “Really?” Tossing it from one hand to the other, he ordered the staff to shrink, and it shrunk to a normal staff's height and width. Delighted, he looked to Goko, his face etched with smug glee. “Why so compliant?”

 

Goko closed his eye, grimacing at the deep sting in his other socket. He was no fool. This beast demonstrated no difficulty subduing him. And worse of all, he did so without any malicious intent. Merely protecting himself. Acting exactly like a feral animal. “Consider it charity for something as simple-minded as you. Developing a technique might benefit your thinking skills.”

 

The beast hit the staff on the ground, telling it to grow and shrink, and used it to jump over the two dragons and in front of the exit. No word of gratitude, not that Goko expected one. Not even so much as a look back in his direction.

 

The dragon king watched him leave, scoffing, and stumbled to his feet. An assault like this would never go overlooked by heaven. Hence, Goko wouldn't report the incident's full details to Heaven. He absolutely wouldn't risk the lives of his own soldiers.

 

A god-like beast making his home in the Lower World with one of the Dragon King's prized weapons.

 

Finally wiping blood off his face, Goko shook his head. “What a joke.”

 


	3. A Half

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where that violence warning comes into play, jsyk. also the direct result of binge-watching the entire Blood-C series on your birthday.

_Chew on the white bones_

_And marinate the  red meat_

_There is no meaning_

_To hesitate in triumph_

_So eat to your heart's content_

 

 

After his 'adventure' against the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, the beast killed time before returning to his home. The crystal clear ocean left much to desire, and a plain red pagoda above its surface did little to interest him, void of anyone or anything. The dragon king lived a boring life, and the beast must've been a milestone in his life, honestly.

 

Delighted by his newfound weapon, the beast shrunk it small enough to tuck behind his ear, but not before testing how high and far it could go. When finally satisfied with his playing around, the beast made his way back to the humans' village, resting underneath his favourite tree deep in the village's outskirts.

 

He liked warm days like this one. Fruit-filled trees shaded him from the sun, with just enough sunlight filtering through leaves to warm his body. Grass and flowers padded him. He heard wind, birds chirping, and the nearby river as white noise. He slept soundly, carefree. He never had dreams. The only things other than himself that managed to wake him were sudden shifts in the weather or the rare human passing through his territory.

 

When it came to humans, he didn't care all that much. Very rarely did they ever pester him. The two walks of life lived in some sort of amicable harmony, respecting one another's boundaries. Humans varied from fear to reverence towards him, and he felt no hostility towads them, but was equally disinterested in the deeper aspects of their lives. He'd eavesdrop and watch them from time to time, definitely, but only because he'd get so bored or restless. Other things that never failed to catch his attention were the scents of various foods they made. Able to go long periods without food, ot to mention easily satiated by the juicy flesh of a peach, eating didn't _feel_ like a necessity to the beast, he certainly didn't dislike to eat. Tasting and feeling various flavours fall into his body became somewhat a hobby of his.

 

So on those rare occasions humans moved in his territory, it'd comonly be to leave food out for him, he even came to recognise the scents of people who did it most often. In that regard, it'd mostly been the elderly or their grandchildren, neither of which left the beast bothered or displeased, the worst things about them ended up being the heavy smell of medicine on the elderly or overpowering scent of milk on young children. They left him alone, he left them alone. Simple. Of course, things were friendly, but only to a certain degree, and that let the beast go as far as to defend those people when other humans or demons bothered them.

 

That all said and done, he doesn't expect a pair of tiny hands shaking him in his sleep. His eyes snapped open, claws extended, the only thing keeping the child alive were the beast's reflexes, keeping him from slicing into her upon instantly seeing her tiny frame. Of course, his quick movement nonetheless frightened the child, who became a sobbing, snot-ridden mess.

 

The beast leapt to a branch, scrunching his nose at the loud noise. He forgot, kids' crying was bothersome – _annoying_ , too. Never failed to assail his ears. Looking around, he didn't see any sign of a mother or father coming to the aid of their child, meaning no one to make the child's crying stop.

 

He glanced at a peach just above the child. Pulling the minimised staff from behind his ear and making it grow, he extended it, using it to dislodge the peach, which fell in front of the child with a small thud in the grass. It was enough to gain their attention, an t they kneeled down, wiping away all their tears from their red, puffy eyes and sniffing their nose. Hesitantly, the child picked the peach up, then looked up at the beast, their eyes wide.

 

“Is this for me?”

 

The beast nodded, still perched on the tree branch. Children were weird. Always changing their emotions as quickly as the wind blew.

 

To his relief, the child happily bit into the peach. But not ten bites in, they raised the peach up in the beast's direction. Although surprised, the beast jumped down, taking the peach and biting into it from the other unbitten side. In contrast to the child's smooth bites, his were sharper, deeper, and just a bit more jagged. He bit more and more into it, close to its core, noticing the child stare at him the whole time.

 

Once finished, he tossed the core into the ground. “Why are you here?” He lived far in the outskirts of the village, with the only sign of human use being an _abandoned_ well. Nothing for a child to be running around in without some sort of caretaker in sight.

 

Yet again, the child's face went from happy to sad, but not the awful snotty mess they were the first time. This time, they had a more distant look in their face. Maybe the better word was _disheartened,_ rather than sad.

 

“Lotsa people disappeared. I thought they might've gone here.”

 

“Disappeared? Like that 'hide and seek' game you people play?”

 

The child shook their head. “Nuh-uh. No one can find them.”

 

According to the child, a little after the beast left on his adventures, villagers began to disappear. And while the child didn't understand what the adults around her said, they mentioned a 'demon king' and his followers claiming a strange castle not far from the village, but one originally never there, always surrounded by fog. At certain points of the day, that fog would spread into the village without fail, and dissipate with villagers missing.

 

Although listening to her, the beast couldn't help but focus on a basket she discarded when he scared her. He smelled food from it. Warm bread. He pointed at it, silencing the girl. “You brought that for me, right?”

 

The girl nodded. “People said it'd be like an 'offering' to you. To convince you to-”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You want me to take care of that demon in the temple, and get the villagers out. That's easy for someone like me.”

 

The girl burst into a smile, wrapping her short little arms around the beast's leg and thanking him a hundred times over. For a bit, he tolerated her, but once in the village itself, the girl still holding onto his leg, he picked her up by the back of her dress collar, holding her above the ground like a kitten before setting her down. With a wave of his hand, he told her to go home, or something, that wasn't near the fog-filled temple.

 

Monks surrounded the front of the temple, praying and chanting. It gave the beast a headache, but was nothing he couldn't just brush off. Fog spilled out the temple's windows and doors, weaving around like phantoms, and the beast heard heavy, inevitably drunken laughter inside.

 

Instead of dealing with the monks, who'd get pissy the minute they saw the beast, he jumped onto its roof, completely undetected in the fog. He could hear the intoxicated, deep voices of demons inside, one rumbling louder than the rest.

 

With a casual stomp, the beast broke the roof tiles enough to jump inside. Wooden planks fell on a notably larger demon wearing a golden helmet with his body completely covered by a pitch black robe. The beast heard the planks clamour onto his body, signalling that the demon wore armour under the huge robe.

 

With a slam of a large sword the demon had, he stared at the beast with fiery eyes. He held a larger than life mug full of sake in the other, and his flushed face failed to match his otherwise imposing appearance.

 

“Who are you, barging into my temple and disrupting my party?”

 

The beast summoned his staff, growing it long enough to lean on, and he smiled at the demon, amused by his hefty speech. This demon was one of those types that believed they wouldn't ever die sooner than they wanted to. The sort the beast took a keen liking in knocking down a peg or two. “I could ask the same thing. It's because of you I got woken up early.”

 

Fog spilled from the demon's mouth. “And you think a puny staff like that will do something against me, the Demon King?”  
  
“Assuming your breath doesn't do me in first.”

 

That did it. The demon king thrust his heavy sword in the beast's direction, but the beast jumped onto it, perched atop it like a bird on a tree. No matter how violently the demon king tried to shake him off, the beast stayed put. Instead, the beast dug his claws into the blade, propelling himself forward. The demon king readied himself for a head-on attack, but the beast stopped short of the huge hilt.

 

For a moment, he stared into the demon king's eyes without a single word, his breathing controlled and body poised. Not until the demon king's shoulder flinched did he make another move. His staff increased in length, slamming into the demon king's armour. It broke through like a hot knife to butter, piercing and breaking the demon's ribs.

 

The demon king waved his sword in a frenzy of pain, howling in pain. The beast hopped off his perch on the hilt and disappeared. The demon king, infuriated, ordered for his followers to kill him, but none could find the beast, nor decipher where he hid himself.

 

“No excuses! Find him and kill him! And slaughter every human in this damned village for good measure!”

Flailing his hands, his drunken stupour failed to inform him that his sword had disappeared. Not until a follower pointed it out, and the demon king's mug shattered out of his hand. The demon king dropping his sake was unheard of, and followers crowding the temple hurried to his side to ascertain his trouble.

 

No matter how many timse they asked, the demon king did not respond. He stared onward, absolutely still, eyes staring at nothing but empty space.

 

The demon king's head slowly split in two, and the weight of his head and crown tore flesh and sinew off the sides, leaving both halves of his head to fall off his body, toppling to the ground. Blood covered the entire floor, thick and oozing. His body remained upright, but soon wobbled and fell to the other side. The sheer weight of his body, combined with the shock of his followers, crushed two of them under his body, spreading more blood throughout the temple. The remaining followers stared in chock at their decapitated leader, until one finally pointed at the statue directly behind the former king.

 

Atop the lotus statue, the beast held his staff close to his chest, smiling, tongue sticking out, his eyes aglow in the darkness. Small streaks of blood dotting his face. From his other hand, the demon king's sword clattered down, covered in its late owner's own blood.

 

In his anger, a follower prepped his bow and arrow, ready to shoot the beast, but the latter's staff abruptly extended, goring the demon right in the forehead. His arrow flipped from his grasp, the bow soon following, both rendered useless by a dead user. And now, the beast left all these lesser demons to their own discretion and fate. Any lingering fog faded away, any movements were entirely visible. Mice facing an owl.

 

The moment demons started to run in a panic, his eyes widened, pupils enlarging, body ready to pounce. He 'disappeared' from their sight in a flash, and the first to go down gets their head crushed between the beast's hand and the wall. Another had their chest lacerated. Others simply blunted by the staff. Plenty of yelling and shouting, panicked and angry. One of the last few of them tried to sneak up from behind, armed with a small firearm. Admittedly, he caught the beast by surprise, and he shot the gun, a single bullet aiming for the beast.

 

A look of accomplishment soon contorted into horror, and the gun trembled out of his hand. Horror soon turned to defiance, even as the beast lunged for him, impaling his chest with his staff. The demon thrashed his body and legs around, his heels slipping on blood, whilst his hands tugged at the staff in a futile effort to pull it out of his chest. Combined with blood covering his hands and a weakening body, the demon soon gave up, hands sliding off the staff.

 

Then the strangest thing happened.

 

The demon made a pained smile, turning away from the beast and to his fallen comrades. Blood dripped out the corner of his mouth.

 

“You... what are you?”

 

The beast tilted his head, but did not answer. Someone near death talking to him never happened. He wanted to hear what the demon had to say before he died because of how unexpected it was that he had the energy to still speak. The demon coughed out blood, the staff jerking inside his chest, and he cringed.

 

“You're no demon...” His voice became more and more strained, clogged by blood. “So what the hell are you. Who are you?”

 

“Why?”

 

“It's normal to wanna know the name of who kills you... Besides... When I go to hell, my one good deed is gonna be to warn all those sorry bastards about you. So spill it, what's your name? You ain't got nothing to lose telling a dead man.”

 

The beast stared at him, dumbfounded. What he was. Who he was. He had answers for neither.

 

The demon did something even more shocking as he laid there dying.

 

_He laughed._

 

“I don't kno what's more pathetic. Dying by some unnamed monster, or living a life without even a name to go by.”

 

The demon mocked him, the beast knew that. Without a proper response, he forced the staff to cut into his abdomen. The demon sputtered and convulsed, still somehow smiling. “I'd... say you're some child lashing out but, even kids got names... so you, without a name... heh... Anyone – _anything_ \- worth the space it occupies has a name, you know.”

 

never in his life considered himself a demon, let alone a human. He knew he was stronger than them. Far stronger. He was born of the Earth, both his 'mother' and home, that nutured and fed him. The Earth gave him food, shelter, warmth, clean air, and fun.

 

But not a name.

 

Scowling, he shook his head, kicking the demon's corpse out of his way.

 

Demons, slayed and scattered throughout the temple. The beast covered in demons' blood lost his smirk. He stomped out, shrinking the staff and putting it back behind his ear. When blood dripped to his tongue, he stiffened, doing his best to spit out the metalic taste.. For good measuer, he wiped the blood on his claws over the cloth over the doorway, leaving the temple, deteriorating outside and covered in blood inside.

 

The second he walked outside, monks looked agahst at him. Their fear no different from the slaughtered demons. The oldest looking one, beads gripped by his bony, shaky hands, stepped forth.

 

“You stepped into our temple?”

 

The beast nodded.

 

“How... how dare you desecrate what remained of our temple by stepping foot into it?”

 

The beast shrugged. He didn't think it possible to 'desecrate' something overrun by a demon king. They might as well dub it a graveyard for the demon king and his followers instead of a temple.

 

Another monk shook his head, pointing at the beast. “Demons are one thing. We can purify and exorcise what's been done in there over a period of time. But you... a Heretic such as yourself leaves that temple doomed!”

 

Taking a step forward, the beast made sure to listen closely. “What did you call me?”

 

Several monks backed away with wide eys and hushed voices, but thei oldest one remained in place.

 

“Golden eyes like yours marks the birth of an unnatural being foreign to even Heaven itself.” His voice sounded like tree branches scratching each other in the wind. “To have a temple invaded by your presence leaves us – and this village, with virtually nothing.”

 

The monk's anger rolled off the beast like water on a duck. A ' _Heretic_ '. What he was was something called a ' _Heretic_ '. And to be 'unnatural to Heaven itself'. Surely that referred to his birth as the Earth's child, rather than a celestial being.

 

“A 'Heretic'...” He walked past the monks, paying no mind to their rush to clear a path for him. In the village's centre, several villagers suddenly appeared from the disappearing fog, surrounded by others welcoming them back from their mysterious disappearance. When the excitement died down, their attention turned to the Heretic. One by one, they knelt to the ground, hands and feet digging into the dirt.

 

Behind the Heretic, a monk admonished, “You dare kowtow a Heretic like him?!”

A woman rose her head. The Heretic noted her resemblance to the child he met earlier.

 

“Ever since we've cohabited with him, he's done more than you were ever capable of.” A huddle of other villagers agreed with her.

 

“What's your chanting good for?”

 

“You can't even be bothered to do the simplest tasks without receiving patronage!”

 

“He's more a sage than _you_ claim to be.”

 

“Praying to gods doesn't help!”

 

“Who needs 'em. His power rivals them!”  
  
“ _Equals_ , more like it!”

 

The Heretic listened to their anger, less out of satisfaction in their support of him, and more out of one simple curiosity.

 

“None of you... are aware of if I have a name?”

 

His question silenced them, and the same woman from before shook her head. “We weren't aware if you had one.” She was earnest, careful in her words. “We assumed you kept it to yourself.”

 

Villagers whispered to one another beneath her confession, exchanging awkward glances their anger towards the monks forgotten. The woman kowtowed deeper than before, her forehead touching the dirt.

 

“If you have one, we'll listen to it. We want to know the name of the person that's lived beside us so long.”

 

The Heretic stared at her for what seemed like ages.

 

“I don't have one.” Before more awkward words could be exchanged, he spoke up. “But now, I do.”

 

“Then, what is it? We'll engrave it in our minds.”

 

The Heretic turned to the monks, his smile back in its rightful place. “A being more a sage than these useless monks. And someone unnatural to Heaven, but with all their power, right? ” He jumped behind the head monk, poking his head with the tip of his claw. “A great sage equal to Heaven. _The_ Great Sage Equalling Heaven.”

 

 

 


	4. A Majority

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how Goko ended up being more a deuteragonist than supporting character but... here he is. Already out of my control...

_My eyes witnessed 'fear',_

_And my own nose has smelled death_

_Tongue knows bitter loss_

_As my ears will sounds of grief_

_But please shield my hands from blood_

 

 

A few days in Heaven can equal several months in the Lower World.

 

While that beast reaped the benefits of the villagers that trusted him so, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea still recovered from the loss of his left eye. He wasn't in any notable pain, persay, but adjusting his sight and alertness proved somewhat a challenge.

 

His men were furious when they learnt the reason, and only through Goko's strict orders did they resist the temptation to confront that beast.

 

He, begrudgingly, also had to acknowledge the assistance from _her_.

 

“My, my, how long has it been down there?”

 

A tall, beautiful woman with striking violet eyes waved a kiseru in the air, never even smoking from it. Goko new she only owned it as some attempt to seem classy. She sat in an ornate chair, hosting the dragon king in her private pagoda. Which she just so happened to insist have located in the Heavenly Eastern Sea, secluded from the rest of Heaven.

 

Admittedly, she would be a dazzling woman were it not for her smile. Her smile never met her cold, distant eyes, tinged with only a small bit of amusement in everything she saw.

 

“You don't even eavesdrop, and looking in on him every so often won't make you feel any better.” Pushing a strand of umber hair behind her ear, she leaned into the sea's view, crystal clear, like a mirror to the Lower World.

 

The Goddess of Wisdom, Seishi Bosatsu. Technically Goko's superior, but Goko could never view her that way. Her personality was just...

 

“Don't you have a _child_ to raise, Goddess?”

 

She shrugged. “That's what having a nanny and younger sister is for.”

 

“From what I hear, you haven't even _named_ your own son.”

 

Seishi sighed, slouching in her seat. “He can't even speak yet. I'm not naming him when he's got nothing to offer. He has no concept of what a name means anyway. He'll live.” She pointed a long nail at the water, and the Heretic appeared once more. “Now, this beast, no, this sage, on the other hand, has my attention. And yours as well, it would see.”

 

“He's dangerous.”

 

She laughed. “Whenever it comes to something Heaven can't immediately conquer, we're all shaking in our boots. Heretics are our worst nightmare because we've got no control over them. They're well beyond our reach, this one included.”

 

The sea's dead silence left no room for even the stir of wind nor waves. Goko digested the Goddess' remark, and the Goddess continued to amuse herself. With a wave of her hand, the sea's image changed.

 

“Ah, there goes another one.”

 

The water revealed a malformed, slobbering mess of a demon rampaging in a marshy field, villagers scrambling around for their lives. The Goddess of Wisdom watched the scene without ever changing her expression. “Sure are a lot of those creatures as of late. They're different from normal demons.”

 

“My men have noticed.”

 

“I'm sure. And they sure have increased since the need for a war god came up.”

 

Her inflection spread a chill up Goko's spine. Responding to her seemed wrong, in a way. He stood up instead, grasping the hilt of his newly repaired sword.

 

“You're going alone?”

 

“Naturally.”

 

Goko loaded his gun, on his way to the Dimensional Gate. Just one demon didn't require sending out a unit, and Goko could handle it no problem. His newly repaired sword stayed his primary weapon, but the tranquilisers in his prized revolver made or broke any encounter he had in the Lower World. Besides, he didn't need both eyes to be a crack shot. Sealing wasn't much harder.

 

“How noble.” Chuckling, Seishi waved her kiseru like a hankerchief. “Have fun~.”

 

***

 

In the Lower World, the demon writhed about a marsh, raising its blood-covered mouth from the body of a villager. It bared its fangs, lunging for Goko without a second thought. Impulsive demons like this one were the easiest to deal with . Predictable, constantly opening themselves up for attacks that really mattered. Goko sidestepped the demon's attack, using his sword to deflect its fangs when it stretched its head toward him. The demon clamped down on the blade, but for something as run-of-the-mill as this creature, breaking it would be impossible. Aiming the revolver down its throat, Goko shot a tranquiliser bullet right in.

 

Its body limp, the demon crashed into the marsh, breaking the wet dirt up and sinking into mud. Its twitched and gargled, fighting off sedative effects and inching his body to Goko's feet.

 

Intent on taking it down quickly, Goko aimed his revolver, but sharp wind whirred past him, and deep claw marks marred the demon's flesh. Blood spewed and pooled out, dyeing the green-brown marsh below. A senselessly brutal, painful death.

 

The Heretic and Dragon King met eye-to-eye. Their bodies loose, fluid, poised and practically _built_ for combat. The demon writhed under the Heretic's foot, its life finally coming to an end after the Heretic stomped his foot right into its head.

 

Grimacing, Goko resisted the instinct to look down and see the blood splattered all over the dirt and Heretic's foot. The blood covering his entire left side was enough to take in. Without the smile Goko vividly recalled, the Heretic licked blood off the corner of his mouth.

 

Goko locked eyes with this being, and he'd keep it that way. For an animal like this one, looking away meant submission. The throbbing in his left eye socket fresh, he took a deep breath.

 

“You're as mindless and arrogant as ever.”

 

“Are you looking to losing your other eye too?” Like a child, the Heretic lifted up his beloved staff, waving it like a firearm. “I can do it without even moving.”

 

Stepping back, Goko shook his head. “Not everything in this world feels the need to fight you. I came to seal that demon, nothing else.”

 

The beast rested an elbow on the now shortened staff. He jabbed his thumb behind him, towards bodies mangled and motionless over the marsh. “Some help you were.” Focused on the bodies, the beast's frown deepened. “Since I don't have Heaven's surveillance system, _I_ have an excuse for not being here instantly. What's a big bad dragon king got to say for waiting till the last minute?”

 

Goko narrowed his eyes. “Just as you said, it's not possible to hear about these things in an instant.”

 

With a scoff, the beast moved towards the mangled bodies of villagers. “Convenient answer.” He crouched over the bodies, tugging at their clothes and few accessories. He kept these in his possession, leaving the corpses behind.

 

“You won't bury them?”

 

“They're already in the dirt. There's not much difference other than that worms and bugs will have to share the body with whatever bird decides it was a meal.”

 

“You'd allow creatures to desecrate and devour the bodies of people you so proudly defend.”

 

“Nature comes first. That demon came into our territory, so I took care of it. Those bodies are dead, so they're the scavengers now. People can keep these mementos and stuff instead. I drop 'em off and they take care of 'em. If they aren't complaining, you don't have to neither. Besides, no one wants to see their friend or relative's half-eaten body.”

 

Extending his staff, the beast propelled himself to the village, essentially gliding through clouds.

 

Watching bugs already crawl over what remained of the villagers' bodies. In this heat, they'd stink up the whole area in no time, and decomposition would rot their bodies down to the bone. In Heaven, this'd be unacceptable. Although death was rare in his army, the Eastern Dragon King emphasised respectable burials for those who did meet their end, especially in the case of veterans and newcomers.

 

Still, that was in Heaven. Goko understood that things worked differently here, and the beast's own ideals sinked deep into this village's own. They coexisted. As much as Goko disagreed with them, he was in no place to criticise how those villagers chose to live.

 

He heard a whizzing sound, and the he returned.

 

“...you don't waste time in one place for too long, I see.”

 

The beast smiled, offering no indication that the villagers' deaths affected him. Just that lively spark in his eyes.

 

Just another reason Goko couldn't take him seriously. He walked past the beast, avoiding his watchful gaze. “I'm not particularly interested in conversing with a beast such as yourself.”

 

The beast dug his staff into the ground. “I'm not a 'beast'.” Indignant, he followed Goko, ignoring the latter's hastened footsteps. “I have a name.”

 

Leave him alone. “Fascinating.”

 

The beast cut in front of him, swift and smart enough to appear from Goko's blind spot. The barrel of his revolver would have greeted any other person, but this beast held himself in a way that restricted Goko's reflexes.

 

“I'm not a beast. Ain't a Heretic either.”

 

The fact he even knew that term meant that he got a little smarter since their last encounter. A miracle, to say the least. Months to the beast equated to, at the most, a week or so for Heaven.

 

Against better judgement, Goko humoured him. “Then what am I to call you?”

 

“The Great Sage Equaling Heaven. Seiten Taisei.”

 

An alarm sounded in Goko’s head like a blaring horn. He stopped dead in his tracks, facing the beast. “That’s what you’ve decided to call yourself?” His arrogance knew no bounds.

 

“I got the idea from these villagers,” he admitted, “but ultimately, I named myself.”

 

That much Goko could gather. The beast, Seiten Taisei, emanated with pride, with a wide smile and tall stature.  Here in the Lower World,, Goko didn’t sense the awful presence he built up in Goko’s Palace. An animal comfortable in his natural habitat. It served as a double-edged sword. On one hand, he didn’t seem as battle-ready. On the other, he was so relaxed because he knew he constantly held the advantage.  And now, noticing a minor cut across his forearm, from where Goko did not know, Seiten Taisei glanced at it with disinterest.  The tilt of his head hinted he too didn't know where it came from.

 

The Earth stirred, and its energy condensed in the area, soon, the wound disappeared, and the beast remained nonchalant.

 

“That power… Where did you learn it?”

 

Seiten Taisei rose eyebrow. “Power?”

 

“You healed your injury the Earth. That’s the best way I can put it.”

 

“Nifty, huh? I never learned it. I’ve just known I can do it since the day I was born.”

 

The Earth coddled the beast with every breath he took.

 

“To me, it’s no different from all the kids going to their parents holding up some scrape on their elbow.”

 

He almost seemed _serene_. This _blood-soaked beast_ seemed _serene_. Goko slowed his pace, allowing the sage to walk by his side. He had to acknowledge the fact that there was no reason to antagonise Seiten Taisei. Rather, he had no chance against the sage. Treating him like an enemy meant suicide.

 

“The way you speak, not only the Earth, you’re fond of that village you live near as well.”

 

“I’ve been around it for a long time. We mostly don’t bother with each other, but it gets boring here, so I’ll check out the place from time to time. One of the weirdest things is how those people grow. Nothing ever stays the same for them.”

 

“They won’t live nearly half as long as you will. They can’t afford to live stagnant lives.”

 

Trying to imagine Seiten Taisei as an amicable being would’ve been impossible if Goko never saw the way he often ignored any nearby human when slaughtering a demon. Ot might be been more appropriate to say he protected that village.

 

“To those people, you-”

 

“I’m basically like a god to ‘em.”

 

Cicadas’ screeching deafened Goko’s thoughts. Looking Seiten Taisei in the eye always disconcerted him, but having those golden eyes taken in by his remaining eye flooded his sight.

“So, what’s Heaven like?”

 

“Ill-suited for you, Seiten Taisei.”

 

His face fell. He extended his staff horizontally, barring Goko from moving. “What's that supposed to mean?”

 

“It means that Heaven would never accept the likes of you. That's just a fact.” Goko attempted to walk past him, but the sage kept the staff immobile, more like a wall than a weapon. He avoided looking the sage in the eye once more, instead staring straight ahead. “If you don't mind, I'm leaving.”

 

“I want to see it.”

 

“See what?”

 

“What Heaven looks like. I wanna see exactly what I'm equal to.”

 

He had to be joking. Heretical origins aside, Seiten Taisei would never receive a warm welcoming from anyone in Heaven.

 

Paying him no heed, Goko stayed still, silent and moving, just like a statue. Even when Seiten Taisei tightened his hold on the staff, as if prepping himself to swing, Goko did not stir. Cicadas hissed so loud they might as well be right next to the pair.

 

Goko took a deep breath. He knew he had to change his approach as abruptly as the weather changed to deal with the sage.

 

“You were born and nurtured by the Earth. Stay here. Heaven won't welcome you.”

 

“They don't need to. I just wanna check it out.”

 

Goko looked back in the village's direction. “What about the villagers here?”

 

Seiten Taisei did not lose the spark in his eye. Something new and shiny caught his interest and he wouldn't let it go until he could pounce. Yet, for as honest as his curiosity was, Goko saw the devil staring right back at him behind the sage's eyes. A look he couldn't say yes to in good conscious, but couldn't say no to in favour of his well-being.

 

“Do what you will.”

 


	5. A Shred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rather character and dialogue-driven, but y'all'll live.

 

_Summer haze melts the mind_

_Hearts boiled in small bodies_

_Their turgid chatter grounds us_

_So cast aside our worries_

_With wine to head towards crisp dawns_

 

 

Before the Seiten Taisei stood a grand, gold and jade-covered chamber. Accents of red decorated pillars and curtains, and natural light pooled in from an eternally spring sun. Quiet, still air stagnated the entire room, sapping it of any energy.

 

Some would call it 'peaceful', but Seiten Taisei found it just the opposite. It didn't help that a bunch of random people stared at him from seats extending from the walls either. Five especially elaborate seats encircled the upper half of the chamber. Below were four other seats, where three men resembling Goko sat.

 

In the centre sat a youth whose chair was large and wide enough to support a _lion_ that rested complacently at its apparent owner's side. It lifted its head upon seeing the sage, a rumble requesting its owner's attention.

 

The youth saw Goko and Seiten Taisei, stroking his lion's mane. All his attention landed on Goko, he knelt down, head bowing low.

 

“Before you is someone who goes by Great Sage Equaling Heaven.” His voice was tight, disconnected from the look on his face. “Seiten Taisei.”

 

The scale-covered, red skinned man in the lower section slammed his fist down on the counter, narrowing his eyes. “Hey, Goko, not what the hell kinda joke is this?”

 

The man with white scales spoke up next. “This is the Heretic that attacked you.”

 

At that, Seiten Taisei couldn't resist smirking a little. Knowing his already built some semblance of a reputation here of all places filled his chest with warm pride. Even the men's scrutiny couldn't bog him down. Instead, it basically fueled him. He stood up straight, head held high against Goko's reverence.

 

His head still low, Goko spoke to the sage. “You're acting like that in front of Heaven's Five Bodhisattva and three of the four Dragon Kings, excluding myself.”

 

What the fuck was a 'body-savva'. “I only see four.”

 

“Jizo Bosatsu currently acts as a saviour of souls in Hell. Don't take his absence personally.”

 

Fair enough. “And there's four of you kings?”

 

“Yes. The two that spoke just now are Gokin and Gojun, Dragon Kings of the South and West Seas respectively.” He looked up, gesturing the grey-skinned man. “ _That_ is Gojin of the North Sea. Gokin and Gojun are a different story, but, your best bet is to appeal to Gojin.”

 

He spoke so quietly, and the sage knew he wasn't gifted in the whispering department. He crouched next to Goko, tilting his head. “So what? He's your head honcho?”

 

“Not necessarily, but we all hold different positions in Heaven. Gojun and I manage the Heavenly West and East Armies. Gojin handles – loosely speaking – disputes between the Lower World and Heaven to avoid Gojun and I's involvement. You're of the Lower World, so don't screw up in front of him.”

 

“Mmkay.” Seiten Taisei nodded. “What about the sunburnt one?”

 

Goko sighed, shaking his head. “Gokin contributes disciplinary action over people who've committed crimes here. _Don't_ get his attention.”

 

“One more question.”

 

“Is this really the time?”

 

“How's the whole dragon thing work? I mean. You guys just look like glorified demons. So... what? Some god hooked up with an actual dragon and-”

 

“ _Goko.”_ A deep, aged voice cut the conversation short. The oldest of the four in the upper seats, with his crinkly eyes, fixated on the pair on the floor. “Why is he here?”

 

The Dragon King of the East stood up, nodding in his direction. “Fugen Bosatsu, he requested entrance to Heaven.”

 

“And you complied?”

 

“With all due respect.” Goko removed the bandage over his eye, exposing the scarred and emptied socket. “I think you'll find that I haven't the luxury of antagonising him.”

 

The three Dragon Kings stirred, Gokin muttering to himself in contrast to the others two's disciplined silence.

 

“Not apprehending him was the safest choice at the time,” Gojun admitted.

 

Gokin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, now look where it's got us. Feed a stray once and it starts expecting a bed in your house.”

 

Two whistles from the upper half interrupted them. The two women, one with thick, wavy black hair, the other with long brown hair, laughed to one another, smiling at the Heretic with great interest.

 

The short-haired one said, “I say we let him in.”

 

“I disagree, Kanzeon, but this is one of our more energetic meetings.” She pulled a kiseru out. “Although I ultimately admit that I'm... on Gojun and Gokin's side for once.”

 

“Glad I never have to say that.”

 

They spoke like sisters, from Seiten Taisei could tell. Or, at least, their banter reminded him of siblings he'd run into on Earth. They disagreed with each other strongly and soon their debate turned into a quiet argument.

 

“Letting an animal like that into Heaven will only end poorly.”

 

“Noting can be worse than how uneventful it's been up here. He's a breath of fresh air, yanno.”

 

“Until he wants to add a new weapon to his personnel.”

 

The youngest of the... whatever Goko called them, held his hand up, signalling the other two to silence themselves. His round, bright eyes focused on Seiten Taisei, indicating neither fear nor acceptance. Simply the eyes of a man who knew what he was talking about. He stroked his lion's mane, his glowing sword kept at a distance from his hand.

 

He introduced himself as Monju Bosatsu before speaking. “The Heretic, Seiten Taisei, is a powerful being. We must handle this with great care. Separating our thoughts will only alienate the best decision.” His voice held a weight that kept the hall silent, even prompting the Great Sage's full attention. “Kanzeon Bosatsu, Seishi Bosatsu, how would you two handle a beggar?”

 

Kanzeon rose an eyebrow. “Just give him the money. It gets him off your back.”

 

Snorting, Seishi twirled her kiseru. “Most beggars spend their money on gambling and alcohol. It isn't worth my time.”

 

“You are both right. Yet also wrong.” Fugen spoke up, “giving the man money is compassionate, yes, but foolish. Conversely, refusing the man anything is wise, but cruel.”

 

“Then what's the solution?” Kanzeon leaned back in her seat, scowling. “I dunno how this relates to letting this guy in.”

 

Monju answered her with closed, peaceful eyes. “Every step of the way, you must take matters into your own hands. Be wise and compassionate. Offer both money and food. Do not let the man have control of your compassion nor wisdom.”

 

Kanzeon crossed her arms, tilting her head, ultimately unimpressed. Beside her, Seishi smiled, giving the slightest nod of agreement in Monju's statement. Across from her, Fugen muttered to himself, resembling rapid chanting. For a moment, his chanting filled the hall, and the sage covered his ears, grimacing at even the smallest uttering of holy prayer, until finally Fugen lowered his hands, slowly opening his eyes.

 

“We cannot ignore the Great Sage's nature.”

 

“Nor can we control it.”

 

“Not necessarily.” Finally, Gojin spoke up, bowing his head in Monju and Fugen's direction. “We can find some sort of balance for both issues. If the Bodhisattva will allow, I'd prefer I and my brothers take care of how the Heretic is handled. One of our own brought him in. It's only fair we handle him.”

 

Although the sisters said nothing, Fugen and Monju signaled their agreement. “You may proceed,” both said.

 

“Gokin.” Staring expectantly at Gokin, Gojin made some sort of hand sign. “One of _those_ would be useful.”

 

Although hesitant, Gokin kicked back in his seat, boots on the counter. “I don't like this one bit. You better know what you're doin'.'

 

Stroking his lion, Monju listened intently. “What is it you've in mind?”

 

The North and South Kings exchanged looks with each other. Grunting, Gokin drew one of the many fighting knives strapped to his waist, revealing a pure gold dagger. Below, Seiten Taisei tensed, but Goko kept a hand on his shoulder.

 

Gokin tossed the dagger onto the counter, sliding it over to Gojin. The North Dragon King tapped the dagger with one finger, and the dagger glew bright gold, before shining pure white, its form seemingly transforming. The glow dimmed back to gold, and a thin crown solidified in the dagger's place.

 

He threw it to Goko, he observed its simple design and heavy weight. “This is... a Limiter?”

 

“Hardly, I can't make something strong enough for a Heretic. It's more of a 'regulator'.”

 

The Great Sage scowled, pointing at the diadem. “You expect me to wear that?”

 

“If you don't want to be side-eyed more than you already are. You have my word, neither I nor my brothers will raise our hand against you for as long as you wear the diadem.”

 

Goko nodded, and the two brothers looked to the remaining two.

 

Gojun kept silent, speaking only when the sage's low, aggravated growl echoed in the room.

 

“I can't agree with those terms. Not in good conscience.”

 

“Yeah,” Gokin called, “Gojun's right. I ain't buyin' this whole thing. He bares his claws against anyone in Heaven, it's on our ass. No thanks.”

 

The sage snatched the diadem from Goko, glaring at Gojin with steely eyes. He put it on, struggling to tug hair out of its grasp for more comfort. Then he started to pull at the diadem itself. No matter how hard he pulled, not even the Great Sage could stretch it out. Instead, it glowed white-hot, tightening around him. His keen ears heard the sizzle of hair and skin underneath the diadem, fading away only after the diadem slowly loosened to a snug, perfect fit.

 

“Ha! Serves the little shit right.” Gokin flipped the dagger's sheath around in his hand. “Those daggers work to sedate n' subdue any creature that stirs shit in the Lower World. You ain't any different. Turning it into somethin' that keeps you behaved isn't shit to me or Gojin. Tug all ya want, ya can't get it off now.”

 

The Sage gritted his teeth, flexing his claws and summoning his prized staff.

 

One foot forward, and a chain yanked the staff behind him, loosening up only to wrap around his ankle. The chain tightened, pulling him to the floor. A separate blade gleamed in front of his face. Craning his head, Gokin and Gojun towered over him.

 

Gokin waved the blade of his weapon around, the weighted chain tugging at Seiten Taisei's ankle with each movement.

 

“Like it? Accordin' to Goko, this here's a 'chigiriki'. I dunno 'bout all the ins and outs, but I do know I'm good at usin' it.” His heavy boot pressed onto the side of Seiten Taisei's face, pushing him into the cold floor. “Y'know what your problem is? You've never been in pain before. Not actual pain, anyway. So what happens when you're actually hurt?”

 

The chain stiffened, and the sage's ankle lifted into the air, the rest of his body following in rapid motion. He cut through the air, finally released by the chain and crashing into the wall behind Gokin. With an unceremonious landing onto the floor, the Great Sage Equaling froze solid. Blood rushed up his throat like bile, and the staff disappeared.

 

Heavy footsteps barely caught his attention, and Gokin crouched in front of him, yanking his head up by the hair. “You freeze n' sit there at the worst possible moment. Right now, you're lookin' like roadkill.” Just by his mere presence, the diadem glowed white-hot once more, digging into the sage's skull.

 

“That's enough.” Behind Gokin, Gojun sheathed his weapon, his face calm. He never made a move towards the sage, instead keeping his distance. “That diadem is a ' _regulator_ ', not a torture device.” Walking back to his seat, he stopped short of Goko, casting a cold glance his way. “I won't accept accommodating a Heretic in Heaven so close to everyone else, but at the very least, I'll respect how the Bodhisattva and Gojin choose to handle him.

 

Goko gave a solemn nod. “That's fair.”

 

The Dragons returned to their seats, with Gojin and Goko never having moved to begin with. The scrutiny Gokin's rash behaviour gave all of them reflected off their scales like water off a duck. Even with the clear-cut division between how the dragons wanted the Heretic to be dealt with, they stood in solidarity of the Five Bodhisattva decision, whatever it may be.

 

“A show without dinner, kind of a let-down.” Breaking the dragons' spectacle, Kanzeon leaned back in her seat, waving papers around. “Hard to get a 'report' done when we're not solving anything.”

 

Fugen crossed his arms. “I took you for asleep, Kanzeon. To be recording this event is... surprisingly diligent of you.”

 

A smirk graced the Merciful Goddess' lips. “I've been known to shock people.” Her violet eyes gleamed, and in one fell swoop, she tossed the documents into the air. Scattered, they fell, revealing papers doodled and scribbled all over.

 

“Not let's gimme something worth penning down. I'm so damned _bored_.”

 


	6. Piling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rather long chapter.

_Stars dabble the sky_

_Encasing night in silvers_

_A mirror between two worlds_

_Ripples one and all in light_

_And sets your dreamful heart free_

 

 

Heaven had nothing to admire.

 

People lived day by day, in unending spring days and nights, all in the comforts of their jobs and slumber. Compared to Earth, Heaven was filled with unremarkable, bland people.

 

Blandness aside, the other downside of Heaven was the damn 'regulator'. Try as he might, digging his claws into hair and skin, Seiten Taisei could never remove the diadem. Only feel it tighten and heat up on his forehead and shoot unbearable pain throughout his entire skull. He still had the appearance of a demon. Still had his incredible strength. The regulator's only functions involved preventing him from accessing Earth's healing properties and 'lessening his presence' in Heaven for 'the sake of others'. Funny, no matter how much blood covered him or how fierce his temper, humans never needed his presence lessened for their sakes. No, he reckoned that his very presence was what drew others _to_ him.

 

Sparse as the sage's close interaction with humans was, he encountered a few people here and there that approached him like a normal human being. Not just the village girl or elders and children that left him offerings, but curious travelers that heard of his influence.

 

One such traveler, in tattered rags and a pitch black pipa in his possession chose to stay within the sage's territory prior to his entry to Heaven. Although, the pipa looked ore for show. Bandages covered his right hand, and he spoke with great tension and stiffness in his whole right arm. Once the traveler noticed the sage's staring, he laughed, saying that with the length of his claws, the sage would not have much more luck than he at playing the lovely instrument.

 

Offended, Seiten Taisei snatched the pipa from him, demanding to learn how to play. Many broken strings and makeshift repairs later, he found a fondness for the pipa's music. And now, in Heaven, he kept the pipa in his possession, truly his only source of regular entertainment, filling the easternmost land with its fine tune whilst sitting on the branch of a cherry blossom tree.

 

The pipa's tune, the clothes on his back, and the familiar scent of cherry blossoms kept him tied to the land that birthed to him, even in Heaven's listless space.

 

 _Actually_ , the cherry tree offered one more source of respite: masking the pungent scent of horses in the nearby stalls. He was always near those stalls, never too far from them, his eyes and ears keen on the horses' whinnies and neighs. Protector of the Palace Stables – that became his role within Heaven, a position just for him, and not a hard role to fulfill at all. Always surrounded by chestnut, rabicano, buckskin, and then some, he did become fond of the creatures. They were calm ones, and quickly grew accustomed to his presence.

 

Of course, as far as picking up after them went, he went out of his ay to track down the nearest person to make them do it for him. His eyes terrified majority of Heaven, and he wasted no time in using that to his advantage. Waste pick-up aside, the job was simple, underwhelming, but without the burden of any real responsibility cast upon his shoulders, like for the Dragon Kings. All four of those guys had some sorta bigwig job in Heaven, from leading armies to disciplinary management, and even someone that acted as something of a mediator between Heaven and Earth. The latter left on a task soon after Seiten Taisei entered Heaven, much to his disappointment. Along with Goko (kind of), Gojin had been one of the few advocating his entrance, so he'd looked forward to seeing more of the North Dragon King, but now he was stuck with Goko and the other two yahoos that _protested and attacked him_.

 

A zephyr blew upward, raising tufts of his hair and making leaves weave into each other. He closed his eyes, taking in the sound of leaves weaving into each other and their scent filling up his nose. His claws still stroked the pipa's strings, letting tiny notes play. The wind died down as soon as it came, and he caught whiff of a fruity scent, different from peaches, sharp and artificial.

 

He leaned over the branch, seeing the top of a brown-haired woman's head standing beneath the tree. He narrowed his eyes, recognising the finely woven silk scarf hanging around her neck.

 

Admiring a cherry blossom, Seishi Bosatsu glanced up at Seiten Taisei with her violet eyes. “That's 'Flowers on a Moonlit River', is it not?”

 

Seiten Taisei nodded,.

 

“It's odd, you always play that one song, but I never hear you move on to its finale.”

 

Seiten Taisei stared at his claws, just barely stroking the four strings taut across the pipa's neck. Slower tempos were easier, and replacing strings was a pain. Of _course_ he never went as fast as the song's climax. He absently plucked at them, letting notes hang in the air to dissolve into silence, sometimes paired with the horses' neighing. And he preferred if it wasn't interrupted by someone.

 

“Why are you here?” He pressed the pipa's neck to his cheek, sizing the goddess up. “You're one of the ones that _didn't_ want me here.”

 

“But you're here now. And I'm not one to dwell on the past.” She shrugged, and stood in a way that made it seem like the world gravitated to her. The upwind curled her heavy perfume up into Seiten Taisei's nose, along with the faint scent of milk.

 

“You have a child?”

 

“That's what they keep telling me.”

 

She didn't have a 'mother's tone'. On Earth, mothers loved and doted on their children. Human, demon, beast – it didn't matter, Seiten Taisei saw a protective spark in all those mothers' eyes. Even the Earth itself warmed its child's skin after its wintry slumber came to an end. _This_ woman had no warmth. She spoke as if discussing the weather. Resisting the urge to recoil, the sage allowed the conversation to end there. Were _all_ gods and goddesses like this?

 

Silence returned, plagued by Seishin's stagnant presence beneath Seiten Taisei's favourite tree. He did his best to ignore her and her heavy scent crawling down his throat. His leg bounced up and down, hindering his music-making, and he had half a mind to crack it down on the Seishi's head to get rid of her, but that'd be a waste of a perfectly good instrument.

 

Still air and nothing to do aside from bond with horses, Heaven was looking more and more like a letdown. And his feet itched in a way that dragged them downward, back to Earth. He made enough a fuss to get into Heaven, and a desire to go back to his home was the last thing he could afford out of sheer pride. Still, he naturally wondered how that village of his was fairing.

 

He smiled. Calling it 'his' village became somewhat a habit he never dropped. He wasn't wrong, it'd been his village for the longest time without his even knowing it. His interaction with them increased in frequency, and now he had the greatest desire to travel down and boast of his achievements, like the return of a humble kingdom's great king.

 

Thinking aloud, he muttered, “I'll see them soon.”

 

A chuckle below him. “No one's told you, have you?”

 

He quirked an eyebrow. He was sure he hadn't mentioned any context to his mutterings. “Told me _what?”_

 

“About the Lower World.”

 

“What _about it?”_

 

A flower petal fell from Seishi's grasp, swaying to the ground and usurping Seiten Taisei's attention. The second it met the ground, a foot stomped down on it.

 

An ashen man in plain robes knelt at Seishi's feet, covered in a cold sweat.

 

“I beg your pardon, Your Highness!”

 

Seishi cast the flower aside, and lofty smile fell. “What's this all about? I thought I told you lot _not_ to bother me outside my office.”

 

The servant gulped, eyes fixated on dirt . “A thousand pardons, Your Highness, but the Dragon King of the North Sea, Gojin, has returned from his consultation with the demon of Chaand.”

  
“He's still wasting his time with that one?”

 

Taken aback, the man's shoulders slumped. “Your... Your Highness, he's returned injured. This is unheard of! Surely you're more concerned?” He shifted his body, and sure enough, a great disturbance stirred Heaven's stagnant air.

 

People horded behind the man, and Seiten Taisei could barely see Gojin's figure towering over the rest of them. Eager to escape Seishi's company, curisoity overcame the sage, and he leapt from the tree, abandoning the pipa. He landed in the front of the crowd, not budging from angered strangers' attempts to shove him out the way.

 

Supported by Gojun, Gojin bled from his side, staining his pale grey robes. His scales nearly matched Gojun's complexion, and he fought off a pained expression. Subordinates flanked him, demanding to know what happened to him, and soon his two other brothers rushed to his side. Moving forward, he staggered, and a burst of blood splattered to the ground. Soon all brothers stood side by side.

 

Gokin shoved his way through the subordinates, taking hold of Gojin's other side, whilst Goko demanded a medic as soon as possible.

 

Gokin's face contorted with fury. “What the hell happened?”

 

Raising his head, Gojin wiped sweat away from his brow. “Don't... act rashly.”

 

Scoffing, Gokin clenched his fist. “What's _that_ supposed to mean?”

 

Rivulets of sweat dripped off Gojin's forehead. “I'll explain later.” As level as during the meeting, Gojin's voice had no tinge of pain in it. Feet planted on the ground, Gojin slid his arm from Gojun's support. He gritted his teeth, shortly focused on the blood covering his boots. He waved his hand, dismissing his men and muttering something to Goko. The two stared at one another in silence, but with heavy footsteps, Goko seemed to relent to whatever Goko said, ordering the Eastern Army's units to disperse with a booming voice, not so much as glancing in Seiten Taisei's direction.

 

Left unsupported, Gojin made his way to what could only be his office of sorts. To others, his fierce independence must have seemed admirable, maybe even impressive, but Seiten Taisei saw an injured creature licking his wounds and limping to the nearest sanctuary to rest.

 

Rather than humour the sight, Seiten Taisei casually went to his side, forcefully slinging Gojin's arm around his shoulder without warning.

 

The blood covering his side made him reek like the inside of an old roleau, and Seiten Taisei tasted the aroma on his tongue, almost like he bit directly into the Dragon King's limbs himself.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Seiten Taisei shook off the odour. “Helping.” He puffed out his chest, pleased with his do-gooding. The glare Gokin cast him left him unfazed, and his smile widened _solely_ to spite Gokin.

 

Gokin growled, but Gojin put a hand up, preventing Gokin from getting closer. “Leave him.” “My office is this way, we go there.”

 

“You don't wanna go to a medical room or something?”

 

“With all this fuss, they'll send someone regardless of where I go.”

 

Shrugging, the sage agreed. “Suit yourself.”

 

The walk to Gojin's office did not take long, and soon they entered the room through large wooden doors with ornate carvings. Gojin made his way to sit, and indicated no disdain to Seiten Taisei's presence in his own quarters.

 

Seiten Taisei sat criss-crossed on a plain wooden chair, cushioned only by stiff red fabric. shifting around in hopes of getting comfortable. Gojin sat in a much more luxurious, dark desk, with a chair wider than his body. Blood dripped onto reflective. bluish-white tile, paired with the sound of the fluid scrawling of a pen and gentle breeze swaying thin white curtains.

 

“Shouldn't you get wrapped up?” And get comfier furniture for guests.

 

Setting papers aside, Gojin pulled more from a stack to the left of him. “Someone _will_ eventually come. Further, I dislike standing idly. In light of today's events, I have work to do.” His grip tightened around the pen, and he hunched over with a drop of sweat curving down his cheek. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, and soon relaxed his posture.

 

Bouncing his leg up and down, the sage didn't press him any further. If he didn't want to lick his wounds and just continue on with his day, so be it. Behind him, he heard people dodder right outside the office, all spent and weary from shock over Gojin's condition. They spoke in hushed tones, but Seiten Taisei could concentrate on their voices just enough to make out the juicy bits.

 

“Why haven't those four taken care of that menace in the Lower World yet?”

 

“The East and West Armies could have taken care of him by now.”

 

“Maybe so, but if he's capable of harming King Gojin, then they must be trying to find a way to avoid any further casualties.”

 

“I've heard he's the same demon who took down the late War God. They should hurry and replace him.”

 

“Isn't that why _he_ was brought in?”

 

Their voices jumbled and interrupted each other more and more, now indiscernible.

 

_Who's 'he'?_

 

Someone burst into the room, fussing over a nonchalant Gojin. He was oblivious to Seiten Taisei's presence, allowing the sage to observe in silence. The whole procedure seemed informal, nothing like he expected of the disciplined black-scaled Dragon King. Soon following the man's entrance was Gojun. The Dragon King Seiten Taisei vividly recognised as one of the ones who opposed him.

 

Much to his surprise, Gojun paid him no mind. He stood, straight up as ever, watching Gojin accept medical care without so much of a word. His hand stayed curled around his sword's scabbard.

 

“I heard from Goko. Why have you issued an order to prohibit the Western and Eastern Armies from their duty against Chaand's demon?”

 

Eyes closed, Gojin put the pen down. “I won't do something that risky to your or Goko's men.” He looked up, his forest green eyes blazing. “I won't have their lives on my shoulders. That creature is too unpredictable.”

 

“We can't allow this to go on.”

 

Ignoring the grave atmosphere, Seiten Taisei waved his hand. “So what's the big deal? A demon got ya, right?”

 

Both Dragon Kings glanced at him, ignoring his question. Gojun quickly focused back on Gojin. “It was meant to be a _meeting_. Chaand's demon tends to be more amicable, but he's acting up more and more lately.” With an edge to his tone, Gojun didn't explain things patiently. It was more like he explained things in a way to communicate that it should be common knowledge.

 

“If I consult action with anyone, it'll be our superiors. We can't just do what we want in the Lower World.”

 

Undeterred, Gojun pressed on. “What's _really_ the reason you're refusing?”

 

Silence swept over the room.

 

Gojin stood up, crossing over to the window. The movement revealed that he already bled through the bandages. “I don't want word spreading through Heaven, then everyone will be in a frenzy.”

 

Oh, things were getting interesting.

 

A spectator to all, Seiten Taisen leaned back in the chair, tiling its front legs in the air just a tad. On one hand, they spoke too formally for him to stay invested. On the other hand, he wanted to hear about what other sort of demon could do a number on a Dragon King, or if the brothers' reputations were just all talk. Like a preoccupied cat, he watched with unblinking eyes, his ears perked to the slightest sound.

 

“The demon of Chaand is no ordinary creature.” He cradled his injury, supporting his weight on the window sill. “I'm worried sealing would work. That's why I want neither army near him.”

 

Gojun stiffened. “You're implying that it'd be...”

 

“Best to kill him.”

 

The air went frigid, but Seiten Taisei didn't see the big deal. Kill the demon that was pestering you? That injured you? That should be a no-brainer. For how high and mighty humans treated them, gods really didn't have the stomach for dirty work. The brothers' conversation met a stalemate, both adamantly and silently refusing to finish up their thoughts.

 

_Things got awkward..._

 

The chair he rocked back and forth in creaked incessantly, and, slowly, the pair focused on their visitor.

 

Defeated, Gojin sighed. “ _Why_ are you still here? I appreciate your assistance, but it's not me you should be hovering.”

 

“I don't 'hover' anyone. Something interesting happened here, and you made Goko go do something, right?”

 

Faltering, Gojin dragged his palm over his face. “I question the Lower World's reverance towards you.”

 

The second he mentioned Earth, Seiten Taisei perked up, remembering Seishi's haughty words. “Hey, between here and Earth, what's the big difference?”

 

“What do you mean? There's plenty of-”

 

“What would make it hard to visit it whenever I want. I can't just ditch my village. I wanna visit it every now and then. That Goddess of Wisdom laughed at me the second she caught on. So what's the deal? What's everyone too incompetent to tell me about?”

 

Gojun's face hardened, and he exchanged a strange look with Gojin. Soon, some unspoken agreement cleared the frigid air. Gojun opened a drawer in Gojin's desk, placing a red-rimmed mirror on his desk. Waving his hand over it, the mirror presented a familiar image.

 

Leaning over to get a better view, Seiten Taisei's eyes gleamed. “That's Earth.”

 

Gojun nodded. “Gojin's mirror goes beyond dimensions, it's more a _window_ than anything else. What you're seeing now is your village as it is.”

 

A warm light of pride sparked in Seiten Taisei's chest, but the more he absorbed each detail, the more the light smoldered.

 

Its core signs and shops were the same, but some shacks and buildings looked older, with scratches and cracks in their wood, and other buildings he didn't recognise stood where the old temple used to be. He saw villagers he barely recognised, and some villagers completely missing. Leaves crackled from trees like sparks off a bonfire.

 

He was sure he left during _spring_.

 

Feeling a heavy stone settle in the pit of his stomach, his claws dug into the desk's fine wood. This was wrong. Very wrong.

 

Sensing his distress, Gojun retracted the mirror. “The Lower World’s time flows like _water_ compared to here. What’s been only a few days to you could end up being several months to them.”

 

Why - why did no one tell him?

 

From the window, Gojjn responded flatly, “You never asked.”

 

The two brothers looked on at Seiten Taisei, their eyes void of sympathy. Indeed, just a few moments in Heaven could end as weeks in Earth. A month or so… A year, at least? How many the older villagers would die at that point? How would those people change compared to _him?_

 

“If you still want to see them, then go on. But time flows like water in the Lower World.”

 

Gojjn nodded. “And you're not exactly busy. Taking care of the stable horses is far from challenging.

 

He ignored the half-hearted encouragement. Golden eyes dilated. ” Why do you say that _?“_

 

"Because stable watching is no higher than most tasks of the Lower World.”

 

Claws dug deeper into the desk, puncturing splinters into his flesh. He was being strung along. Taken for a fool. Everyone here knew damn well that something as low as stables were beneath the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. After all that goddamn fuss over him, they couldn’t even take him seriously. He was no prized denizen, and every side glance nutured violent thoughts in his head, but now, they were asking for it, trying to undermine _him_.

 

The desk gave way under his anger, wood crumbling into a hole where his claws pierced it.

 

Gojin held his hand up. “Before taking your anger out on my property, consider consulting someone regarding your dissatisfaction.”

 

“ _Like who?”_

 

“You mentioned it was the Goddess of Wisdom who brought up the Lower World to you. Her position is enough to convince someone to hear you out.”

 

“Well where the hell is she?”

 

“Try her palace. A red palace shouldn't be hard for you to find.”

 

His snide remark rolled off the sage like water off a duck. He didn't have time to dignify a response. He _would_ find that arrogant god. The one who so smugly laughed off his loyalties in favour of vague mocking.

 

Just as Gojin predicted, the palace was simple to find.

 

The temple he found was less grand than the Jade Emperor’s Palace, but held a wonderful atmosphere. Ethereal, the colours of it crystalising into the sky, distant from Heaven’s stuffy air. Erected atop multiple steps, the temple loomed over much.

Seiten Taisei used his staff to skip past the steps, propped up, he looked down, taking in its landscape. Neatly trimmed gardens and simple decour seamlessly complementing each other.

By far, it’s lotus garden tied everything into perfect harmony. Certainly the best place to land.

He dipped his hand in the lotus pond’s cool, smooth water. He waited for a lotus flower to float into the palm of his hand. Lifting his hand, water slipped out of his hand with a pleasing plop back info the pond.

He’d only seen illustrations on pottery of lotus blossoms jn the Lower World, ABD now, holding one that perfectly fit in his hand, he didn’t see anything special. It smelled nice, and it’s petals felt nice too, but nothing _incredible_. He enjoyed the water itself more. Cool, refreshing. It reminded him of the lakes and rivers he bathed in on Earth.

 

Without a second thought, he dipped his head into the water. The best part of water should be the feeling of it swarming around your head, but the regulator he wore blocked him from enjoying himself to the fullest.

 

“How did you get in here?”

 

Despite having his head submerged in the pond, Seiten Taisei heard the voice. He shot up, his wet hair dripping onto his clothes.

 

An aged voice called out to him, more suspicious than outwardly fearful or angry. Seiten Taisei saw a man that looked neither young nor old. Barely balanced on the fence between extremes. His forehead owned a marking different from majority of Heaven, more intricate and distinct, even compared to Heaven’s apparent bigwigs.

 

Dropping the flower back into the pond, Seiten Taisei smiled. “I’m here to see the Goddess of Wisdom.”

 

The man crossed his arms. “Why?”

 

“There’s something _we_ gotta talk about. Don’t worry your pretty little greying head over it.”

 

Jaw agape, the man quickly turned to anger. “How dare you-”

 

A chuckle behind him cut him off, and one could hear the sound of bare feet on the floor.

 

“He’s funnier than I expected, he can stay, Jiroshin.”

 

A tall figure with hair black as midnight settled in the chair with the strength of a king and grace of a queen.

 

“Kanzeon Bosatsu, are you sure about this? As much as I trust your judgement, this sage is rather...”

 

Kanzeon dismissively waved her hand. “It's fine, it's fine. He made things liven up. So it's all good.”

 

Liven up? If Seiten Taisei recalled, this one was also against his presence. Right along with Seishi. Were these two just fickle-minded? They definitely seemed so. One minute agianst his arrival, that next acting like he was a good friend. Although, Kanzeon didn't seem nearly as 'distant', so to speak. Her words weren't warm, but not cold or even lukewarm either. They were just... natural. She spoke naturally, under no pretense. She lived as naturally as the lotus blossoms floated.

 

“So how do ya like it up in here in Heaven?”

 

“You guys live plainly.”

 

Another laugh. “Right? I couldn't stand that damn 'meeting' when you got here so I just went with the first answer I thought of. I wanted it to be as short. As. Possible.” She pointed to the floor, and Seiten Taisei just now noticed the scribbled paper sprawled around her chair. The same ones from the meeting.

 

Standing beside her, Jiroshin's face paled. “I had to clean those from the chamber because of you, Your Highness.”

 

Kanzeon nodded. “All in a day's work.”

 

The Merciful Goddess spoke to her attendant with certain fondness, nothing like Seishi's impatience with the man that approached her regarding Gojin. If that was the case...

 

“That woman's child, does it have a name?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Seishi has one, right?”

 

“Oh, yeah.” Kanzeon shifted in her seat, resting her chin in the palm of the her other hand. “The lil' runt. I almost forgot.”

 

“Your own nephew?”

 

“Aw, don't put it like that. I hardly talk to Seishi, let alone go to eastern parts of the palace. And why would you bring that up?”

 

Seiten Taisei finally rose from where he crouched near the pond. “I was wondering how different you are from her.”

 

With a roll of her eyes, Kanzeon slouched. “I could write a novel and then a supplementary guide.”

 

Jiroshin cleared his throat. He cast a glance at her that expressed doubt in her dedication to writing something as long as a novel. A glance that Kanzeon made a point of ignoring.

 

“So, what _really_ brings you here?”

 

“Is she around? Seishi.”

 

Kanzeon frowned. Her violet eyes went from amused to indifferent at the drop of a hat. “Why would she be?”

 

“Gojin told me this was her palace.”

 

“Hmph, hardly.” She flicked strands of hair off her shoulder. “She barely comes here. It's might as well be _my_ palace.”

 

Figured.

 

Leaning on his staff, Seiten Taisei yawned. He wasn't tired, but this place's drowsy atmosphere didn't fail to affect him. It was like boredom oozed through its walls and flooded the floors.

 

Kanzeon yawned. “So you're finally done playing stable boy, huh? I gotta say, it was rather _pathetic_ watching a hot shot like you doting on horses all day. You must be _drowning_ in your own energy since you can't spend any of it.” Shooting a keen smile, she crossed her legs. “So you wanted to request – demand, that my lovely sister be your own little accolade in upping your status up here, right?”

 

The second she asked, Seiten Taisei knew that wasn't it. Being underestimated and having the wool pulled over his eyes pissed him off, no doubt, but that wasn't what bothered him.

 

More than anything, it was the sense of lost time. And for seemingly nothing. An improved position would at least give him a worthwhile excuse. When he did visit his village, he wanted to boast about having a grand position. Not because he fed horses.

 

“Well, unfortunately for you, she ain't here.” Kanzeon stretched, her robes leaving nothing to the imagination. “She probably disappeared to her little 'sanctuary' in the Eastern Sea.”

 

The crystal clear waters appeared vividly in Seiten Taisei's mind. “Where Goko lives?”

 

“That's right. You know that pagoda there? That's Seishi's. She always goes there to avoid being hassled by others, especially when people get upset over little things, just like today.”

 

If those two shared the territory, they must've been close.

 

“Hardly. Seishi had a little fling with some man in the Eastern Army for a bit, and that pagoda became very convenient for her needs. Granted she dropped him like a bad habit once the brat came into picture.”

 

“Whichever it is, if that's where she is, then I'll just go there.”

 

Kanzeon waved a lazy hand. “Have fun.”

 

Yeah, 'fun'. That was just the word for it.

 


	7. Chunks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> most of this was typed on mobile

 

_Yet throughout the storm,_

_Leopards and tigers tremble_

_Hear their rumbling_

_They too know of the Earth's power_

_Gingerly they wade their way across dirt_

 

 

Seiten Taisei lucked out his first time reaching the Heavenly Eastern Sea. Where the sea was on Earth had its own 'division' in Heaven's version of it. This time, he depended on the endless length of his staff. He towered Heaven, surpassing the palace's grand height. The entire landscape a feast for the eyes, Seiten Taisei found the clear sea's 'mark'. Not the sea itself, but something close to a 'gateway' to it. Goko valued his privacy, having a dimension within a dimension dedicated to his own space.

 

Using the staff to propel himself over, the sage landed flawlessly, and the land beneath him fell into water. Buildings and trees disappeared, leaving the beaming sun and vast blue sky uninterrupted. His long hair swayed like seaweed in the clear waters, and the dragon from before slithered beneath his feet.

 

Seishi Bosatsu's pagoda stood on long beams in the sea, with koi swarming below the floor boards. A long red walkway led the way down to its centre, where the Goddess of Wisdom sat upon an elaborately designed and cushioned chair. Her eyes closed, she appeared to be asleep.

 

Seiten Taisei smacked his staff on the floor, unintentionally cracking it. “Hey, wake up.”

 

“I'm awake.” Seishi didn't bother opening her eyes, instead propping her head up with her hand. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Great Sage?”

 

Never one to beat around the bush, the sage answered her in a clear, strong voice. “I want a better position in Heaven.”

 

She opened her eyes. “And what makes you think I'll do anything about that?”

 

“To be hoenst, I don't know. But you're the one who brought up the different between Earth and Heaven's time. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know how much of a waste being some stable hand is. When I visit my village, I want to boast about what I do.”

 

“So this is all for your pride's sake,” she noted.

 

He didn't see the point in wasting time pretending he was humble. No one in Heaven was humble. Just look at them, the second they see dust on their clothes they freeze on the spot and can't go on about their day without cleaning their entire wardrobe. Even the Dragon Kings had immense sense of pride. It was Goko's very pride that gave Seiten Taisei an opening into Heaven's ranks.

 

So, yes, this was all for his pride's sake. He saw nothing wrong with that. There _was_ nothing wrong with that. People were greedy. Trying to cultivate your conduct in a way depriving you of cardinal sense and nature was just its own sort of pride. One where you thought you could fool yourself into denying human nature. _Living_ nature. Animals fought for food and territory. Lions took no liking to rogues to their pride. Humans are territorial too. Being undermined drove people up a wall.

 

There was nothing wrong with having enough pride to defend your standards and principles. And Seiten Taisei's absolutely _did not_ stand for having a lowly stable hand job.

 

Listening to his tangent, Seishi laughed uncontrollably, holding a slender hand to her mouth to stifle her laughs.

 

“God, you're such a treasure.” She pushed her bangs back. “Fine, fine. You know what? I'll see what I can do. There's plenty of things people don't wanna do in Heaven that they'd be more than happy to dump onto others. A bunch of officials who just bask in the feasts and luxuries of their titles. I'd love to see how they react to you of all things threatening that. Especially with this indolent lot.”

 

This seemed rather... easy. Too easy. Seishi took this too easily, made up her mind too easily.

 

“Don't overthink I. I just wanna see what happens. To me, you're nothing but a novelty, so I wanna see how far you'll go before burning yourself out.”

 

A capricious woman rampant with her own need for amusement. “Are you like this with everyone?”

 

She finally got her laughter under control, sitting nearly identical to how Kanzeon sat. “Let's put it this way. There is nothing in this world that I will ever tie myself to. Nothing, and no one. It's not because it's the easiest way to live or anything, I've just lived too long to feel attached to things. It's not my style.”

 

“To the point where you don't bother worrying over a Heretic or naming your own son.”

 

“Essentially. I'm just not concerned over the colour of your eyes, and, as far as the child goes...” She put a kiseru to her lips, gently blowing smoke.

 

“My own thoughts betrayed me.” Seishi gave an odd smile. “I stared down at that little newborn, and all I could think was ‘is that it?’” A chuckle. “I have lived too long to have an appreciation for the connections I make. The same goes for my sister.”

 

The smoke from her kiseru rose up as a thin pillar, obsructing her face from the sage.

 

Finally, Seishi spoke up. “So, with that out of the way, what’s all of _today’s_ fuss over?”

 

The change of topic made no sense, but satisfied with her word over his position, Seiten Taisei didn't complain. “The demon Gojjn met isn’t normal, apparently.”

 

“Yes yes, _that_ , I could gather. The Dragon Kings didn’t get their positions because of good looks, that’s for sure.” She put the kiseru to her lips again, maintaining graceful charm. “The infamous 'demon of Chaand’ is out of our armies’ leagues. Sealing him just won’t do, right?”

 

Seiten Taisei nodded.

 

“Then they'll have to kill him. Or should, but God knows no one will volunteer. Not without a War God.”

 

“War God?”

 

“The only one of heaven with explicit permission to _kill_. We've been without one for a few months or so because of Chaand's little friend, that's why no one wants to deal with and just dumps it all on Gojin's shoulders.”

 

Ah, so that was why everyone was so ambivalent. Too scared to do dirty work so they had to give it to some specific person.

 

“What if _I_ wanted to be the War God?”

 

Dirty work or not, it sounded more eventful. Better to boast about defeating Heaven’s foes than being stable boy.

 

An incredible thing happened. Seishi's eyes widened. “Now, I know I said I'd hook you up with something better than 'protector of horses', but, really now, War God is no better.”

 

Defeating Heaven's enemies and sending them to their grave. Sounded better to him. If he kept getting peaceful jobs, he'd die from the never-ending banal lifestyle up here. Not gonna happen. Bloodshed, fighting, that put a rush into one's life.

 

“Well, I suppose we do typically give the position to Heretics, but I'm telling you, it's nothing fancy.”

 

“Will it keep me busy?”

 

“Most certainly.” Seishi slipped out of her chair, walking down the pagoda's pathway . She stopped a few feet ahead of Seiten Taisei. She _knew_ what he wanted.

 

He followed her.

 

***

 

Seishi Bosatsu never failed to drop a bomb.

 

“ _Give him a promotion,”_ she said.

 

No one considered Monju Bosatsu an incredulous person. A spry, youthful appearance made him look no older than Seiten Taisei, lithe with handsome features. Yet Monju's bright eyes hid his composure.

 

Beside him, his lion stirred, tail slashing the air. It growled deep in its throat, keen to the immediate shift in mood with watchful, amber eyes. Its master's gentle hand, into which the lion nudged its head, ran through its mane. Powerful, controlled, well aware that the beast was no mere pet cat.

 

There was no beast that did know of Seiten Taisei's power. Leopards and tigers feared him, lions were no different. The moment Seiten Taisei stepped into the room, the lion went slack. On alert, but entirely against striking out or focusing on him. It knew that if it did anything to provoke Seiten Taisei, it'd just be delivering him a new set of clothing. Even the regulator couldn't bar the lion from his overwhelming power. Beasts were smart like that. More in tune with things than the people constantly lording over them.

 

“Seishi Bosatsu,” Fugen rasped, “you're suggesting we allow _this being_ take up the title of War God?”

 

The previous War God shared blood with the Dragon Kings. Against all odds, he gathered a fair amount of respect, even with his blood-soaked hands. He'd been an anomaly to Heaven's War God history, his descendents succeeding in preceding his reputation. Regardless, he'd been a rare instance. The best way to disconnect Heaven from indoctrining their no-kill laws more often rested solely on the shoulders of Heretics. Beings existing on a polar opposite plane from Heaven.

 

But this 'sage' was no ordinary Heretic, even – no, especially by Heaven's standards. Inside his body he harboured the Earth's will and Heaven's power. He demonstrated his powers in the Lower World so often that humans and demos revered him as a _god._ The aptly named Great Sage Equaling Heaven with the most golden eyes anyone ever laid their eyes on.

 

Giving him any place in Heaven proved an unpopular move, and gave him just enough space to think he could push his luck. As they said, give them an inch and they'll expect a mile. The Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Seiten Taisei, a War God? No one creature should harbour that influence. How could Seishi expect anyone to agree with her? And why did she decide to play accolade to the Heretic after voicing her _disapproval_ of him?

 

“Surely you've heard of Gojin's condition?” Seishi spoke in a cloyingly pitched voice. “We _need_ a War God, it's non-negotiable against powerful enemies that defy Heaven.” She brandished a sunflower from thin air, gesturing to Seiten Taisei. “A Heretic. Powerful. Skilled. Clever. Experiened with bloodshed.” The flower disappeared. “He's the perfect candidate.”

 

Rings jangled. Adorned in loose, moss green robes, Jizo Bosatsu called for attention. His skin rich in colour from his usual post granting souls salvation, he spread a warm glow throughout the chamber. Ever patient, the Great Vower, Jizo Bosatsu. He was no naïve, idealistic fool, simply one who found the perfect balance between compromise and common sense.

 

His smooth voice swept the tension away. “I've met many a victim of the demon of Chaand, several of which being devoted monastics, man and woman; furthermore, some still accompanied by their young acolytes.” The rings of his monk's staff swayed with his movements. “And the incident with the Dragon King of the North is greatly unfortunate. With great caution, I agree that a War God _of sorts_ is necessary.”

 

 

Triumph filled Seishi's eyes. The Goddess of Wisdom, for all her merits, cared not for the situation's details. Only the satisfaction of being right. However, when she heard Jizo pound the monk staff into the floor a second time, any semblance of a smile disappeared into cold disinteret.

 

“To reiterate, I say that with great caution.” Artificial light highlighted the rings. “I won't blindly advocate the Great Sage's 'promotion'.”

 

“Jizo, why are you here?” No warmth, no coldness. Seishi offered complete disinterest. A woman bored to death by the monotony of a meeting. She shook her head, long brown strands of hair falling over her shoulder. “We all know you don't bother with mundane meetings.”

 

The Great Vower never left his post in Hell without good reason. _He'd_ been the reason Heaven's Five met today, far before Seishi appeared in Seiten Taisei's favour.

 

“I regret to say...” Jizo cleared his throat, adjusting his position on the cushion he insisted to sitting on. “Not only has the demon of Chaand made his mark, but another creature wreaks havoc elsewhere in China.”

 

Fugen furrowed his brow. “What such creature?”

 

“From what the deceased informed me, a bear-like demon that woke up from a deep, deep slumber just behind a hill near their village.”

 

Seishi smiled. “How convenient.”

 

A look that said she already knew of it. A look waiting for someone else to bring it up so she could use it to her advantage. The goddess' territories had crystal clear waters capable of seeing straight down to the Lower World. _Of course_ she knew.

 

Cautiously, Monju repeated himself, _“Why_ are you supporting Seiten Taisei?”

 

“Because he's here now.” _Infuriatingly_ vague. She yawned, twisting strands of her long brown bangs. “In any case, why pester me about that when there's a demon that needs taken care of?”

 

Finally, Seiten Taisei stepped forward, brandishing his confident, fanged smile. “I could take care of him. He's no challenge to me.”

 

 

“Enough of your mocking, Seiten Taisei.” Monju left his post next to his lion. “We both know you hold no care for humans not under you authority.”

 

“The same holds for all in Heaven.” Seiten Taisei held his arm up, wrapped in tattered, earthly sleeves. “Take a look at me. Is Heaven so afraid of me they allow me to mar its pearly columns in these rags?”

 

That had no relevancy whatsoever. If it was new clothing the sage wanted, he could have just asked.

 

“No,” Seiten Taisei protested, “make me the War God, and I'll take the demon down and make new clothing out of his very own hide.”

 

Fugen clenched his fists. “Fancy taking this wretch as 'War God'.”

 

Nodding, Jizo directly addressed the sage, not shying from his intense gold stare. “Are you aware of how demanding the position is?”

 

“Doesn't matter. I get to do things on a regular basis, and you get to keep me out of your hair. It's a win-win.”

 

Absolutely.

 

Ludicrous.

 

Who in their right mind would ever consider such demands? Who in their right would make such demands? The War God was a deplorable, lowly position. It demonised all Heaven stood for, damned to breaking the greatest taboo by taking life. Anyone in that position sentenced themselves to fear and rejection.

 

Seiten Taisei slowly tilted his head, venom dripping from his breath. “A Heretic, you mean?” From his laugh was danger that crawled over everyone's skin. “Sit there and sneer at me, were I a beast, I am still powerful. That's how all Heretics are, right? We're powerful beings born opposite of your ideologies, and eyes as bright as the summer day's sun. What could be more terrifying than people sitting in the luxury of their positions than beings capable of defying them without breaking a sweat?”

 

 

Seishi's slender hand pulled Seiten Taisei back. “Excellent speech,” she praised, “but you're going about it all wrong, you rabid chimp.” She blew smoke in his face, towering over him. “Don't misinterpret, we owe you nothing here. What I am getting at is that we can make this a mutual relationship, instead of you sucking the life out of us.” She placed her hands on her bare hips. “Leaving this creature with mundane duties like horse-sitting will just make his energy fester in all the wrong places. Heaven hates getting its hands dirty and needs a War God.”

 

Nothing she said was wrong, but agreeing with her didn't feel right. She was leading everyone down to Hell with this idea.

 

“It's up to you,” Seishi continued, “if you're that scared, might I suggest a safety net?”

 

***

 

'A safety net'.

 

What Seishi Bosatsu called a 'safety net', Goko called babysitting.

 

Appointing the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and the Eastern Army's first platoon on the same assignment could not qualify as anything less or more than babysitting. According to Seishi, it was meant to be an evaluation of sorts for Seiten Taisei.

 

But it was, without a doubt, babysitting. Like a child, Seiten Taisei bounded ahead of the platoon, admring the Dimension Gate's grandeur. It gleamed of jade, corundum, and gold, expertly crafted with a height towering over all who entered its platform. Its lofty energy charged the chamber with air disconnected from Heaven's. In its presence, a knowing light brightened Seiten Taisei's eyes, and it seemed the gate pulled him forward.

 

Goko left him be. Even with his strength, Seiten Taisei couldn't force the gate open, instead fumbling with the split of the doors. Instead sleek machinery, well beyond the Lower World's existing advances, required a pass card and code, entrusted to trusted authorities within Heaven.

 

The likelihood that Seiten Taisei would never receive that extension of trust meant a disheartening future for the East Dragon King.

 

He entrusted the unit to depart as soon as the Gate opened, assuring he'd follow close behind. To no one's surprise, Seiten Taisei leapt through, his eyes dialated in the Gate's gold light. His quick acting discouraged the unit, but they nonetheless followed suit in an orderly fashion, leaving doubt in the footsteps they left behind.

 

The lot emerged in the undercut of a waterfall, where the overhang's roaring rush plunged into the river up ahead. The demon of interest was not far. Outside, trees scarred by deep claw marks signaled the demon's territory.

 

Some look different from the rest, though... Some were nearly pin-straight and medium in length, others curved and as long as a person's arm. Seiten Taisei observed them as well, tracing his claws inside the marks. At first, his face seemed calm, introspective, even. But he soon smile, flexing his claws. In an instant, he marked the tree himself. No, actually, the tree toppled over, cleanly cut down by the Great Sage.

 

Goko's steered clear of Seiten Taisei, and he couldn't blame them. Tree after tree, Seiten Taisei downed anything with claw marks on it. But only the shorter claw marks. Panicked birds flew away, and the flap of their wings melded into the sound of leaves violently rustling and roots ripping away.

 

Scowling at the senseless act, Goko finally spoke up. “You're awfully liberal for cutting something the Earth offers down.”

 

Seiten Taisei froze, lowering his claws. When he faced Goko, he still smiled. “If we cut up where he lives, he'll show up here and we don't gotta worry about protecting people in the village.”

 

He was not wrong. No one could deny his understanding of the Lower World. In some ways, that gave him a great advantage. To the left of the unit was definitely a path leading to the village. It wouldn't take much for the demon to run straight there.

 

Yet, with his strength and cunning, Seiten Taisei would easily deter it. His smugness stemmed from the fact that he could show off his power to a whole army unit, and prove Heaven he was right and fit for War God. He'd make Heaven's most damning role appear impressive.

 

A roar shook the entire forest. Seiten Taisei jumped to the top of an unmarked tree, with the poise of a bird of prey, smile absent.

 

_He seems to take it seriously, at least._

 

Goko drew his revolver, but ordered the rest to not follow suit just yet. Ultimately, this was Seiten Taisei's mission. The army unit only accompanied him to prevent casualties or treacheries he'd possibly pull. Stay alert, not eager, holding their breath for Seiten Taisei's first move.

 

A sphantom among them, Seiten Taisei disappeared from sight. Replacing him was the downward smash of his staff, impaling the ground and lifting a mass of black smoke. In the wispy clouds, a pair of glowing red eyes snapped open, and the forest's roaring continued. The smoke snaked into a solid, massive form of soot-coloured fur and bony spikes. To call it a 'bear' wasn't close at all, but the demon resembled one close enough. Smoke extended from its paws and eyes, and it seemed more like its physical form was a sham, unstable and bulbous. But the impact of its size and claw marks were very much solid.

 

It locked eyes with Goko, but turned back to the true offender.

 

“ **What business do you have with me?”**

 

Perched atop his staff, Seiten Taisei stuck his tongue out. “Beating you, naturally.”

 

The demon rumbled. **“You think you can defeat the Smoke Demon Tsuyoi?”**

 

Seiten Taisei waved him off. “Who you are doesn't matter. Don't you know who _I_ am?”

 

“ **I have no reason to know what my food calls itself.”**

 

The sage's gold eyes widened. “Food?” He chuckled, and it broke into bellowing laughter, with him holding his sides. _“Really?”_

 

Not acknowledging him, Tsuyoi dissolved into smoke once more, and the smell of burning wood filled the air. Vibrations shook the dirt beneath Goko and his unit. He braced himself for an attack, but Tsuyoi erupted beyond them, heading straight for the village. A shooting star,, Seiten Taisei followed in the blink of an eye, with Goko ordering the unit to follow him as promptly as possible.

 

He knew it impossible to keep up with Seiten Taisei, and much to everyone's chagrin, the distinctive sound of that demon crashing into wooden village shacks filled their senses, along with villagers' screams.

 

Goko never expected Seiten Taisei to go out of his way for humans not part of his own village, but disappointment nevertheless set in at his apparent carelessness.

 

A soldier well a way's ahead of the others reached the village's entrance first, stopping dead in his tracks. “Dragon King Goko, it's...!”

 

“What is it?”

 

“The Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Seiten Taisei, he's keeping the building from collapsing!”

 

There was no need to go into detail of the disbelief that rose in the pits of the unit's stomachs, and Goko wasted no time to reach the opening. Just as his soldier exclaimed, Seiten Taisei supported a building with the staff, impatiently yelling at panicked villagers to get out from under it. In front of him Tsuroi's body hardened once again.

 

Seiten Taisei didn't struggle with the building's weight. His gritted teeth flashed at Goko with fire in his eyes. “Don't just gawk at me, move!”

 

Realisation hit Goko, and he ordered his unit to move villagers out of the way. There wasn't any salvaging the building, only its former patrons. As soon as the area had been vacated, Seiten Taisei let the building collapse. No longer burderned by human lives, his smile returned to the thrill of battle.

 

He rushed in front of Tsuroi, flawlessly blocking the swipe of a massive right paw. The opposite paw swiped for him, forcing him to elongate and slacken the staff into its three-sectioned form. His speed allowed him to avoid both paws, and he twisted around the right paw, the three sections roughly wrapped around it until Seiten Taisei heard a bone snap as easily as a twig. With a growl, Tsuroi struck down with his left paw, but Seiten Taisei thwacked it back. He didn't linger, instead leaping away, returning his staff to its primary form. He could still feel the paw's impact pressing into the staff.

 

“You're...” He smiled. “You're stronger than you look.”

 

Tsuroi stomped backward. His weight shifted more on the right than the left, all of the muscles contracted and rigid.

 

“ **Don't mock me.”**

 

“I'm not,” Seiten Taisei replied, “I'm complimenting you. I'm not allowed to?”

 

Limping, Tsuroi thrust his head up. **“You say that, but I can see the pity in your eyes. Don't look down on me!”**

 

His body turned to smoke, disappearing completely. Like clockwork, Seiten Taisei wisely jumped back, landing beside Goko, still sporting that wicked expression. The creature next to Goko could end this with one fatal strike of his hand, but chose to play with his staff.

 

Witnesses to the scene, Goko's unit kept still, careful not to interefere. Goko, on the other hand, looked around the village. Too many villagers froze in fear, all likely victims if Seiten Taisei toyed with Tsuyoi any longer. He moved backward, leaving Seiten Taisei in front of him.

 

“Seiten Taisei.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

Goko closed his eyes, his fingers stroke the barrel of his revolver. “Do as please against Tsuroi, but when I give the signal, move out of the way.”

 

Not looking back at him, Seiten Taisei nodded. “What's the signal?”

 

“You'll know when you hear it.”

 

Goko lifted his free hand, a gesture all in his units recognised with great respect. They straightened their posture, and he felt all their expectant eyes focus on his back and heard the clicks of their personal revolvers.

 

He paid no attention to the vibrations underground nor the roaring of the forest. Admittedly, Goko waited for one thing, and one thing only.

 

Ahead of them, what Goko called Seiten Taisei's 'hunting stance' returned. Eyes and hears keen, muscles braced for impact. Finger on the trigger of his revolver, Goko held his breath, as did his unit. A moment like this, one's heart pounds instinctively, your brain and nerves hoping that you can resist the urge to shoot at the wrong knee-jerk moment. This sort of position required that you played with fire.

 

Then the golden moment happened. Seiten Taisei jumped upward, thrusting the staff deep into the ground, and smoked out the bear-like demon.

 

“Shoot now!”

 

Like shooting stars, a flurry of bullets cut through the air.

 

“What?!” Having not landed yet, Seiten Taisei stiffened at the barrage, and Goko saw what might be the _only_ instance of panic the beast ever expressed in his life. The staff and its owner grew into the sky above, quickly avoiding the bullets.

 

Tsuroi, on the hand, was no so fortunate. All tranquilisers dug deep into his solid body, and he wildly rolled to the ground in agony and anger. He dragged his body as close to the unit as he could, but another bullet from Goko stopped his movements.

 

Not giving the unit an opportunity to celebrate the success, Seiten Taisei landed right in Goko's face.

 

“What the _hell_ kinda signal was that?!” Although he'd resembled a young man in his early 20s, anger somehow made Seiten Taisei seem younger. “ _Asshole!_ You can't just shout 'Now!' and have your groupies shoot when I'm in the middle of their fire!”

 

Taken aback by the beast filling the sight of his good eye, Goko blinked. He knew the beast for an impulsive one, but he didn't give off the impression of having a fierce temper. He always wore a smile and let things happen as they did.

 

“I thought you'd be flattered I knew you could avoid it.”

 

“Who in their right mind would be flattered by a buncha goddamned bullets flying their way?”

 

“That's not what I meant, but I suppose your anger isn't unprecedented. I didn't want to alarm the demon prematurely, in my defence.”

 

“Asshole.”

 

“Killing him would've blown your change. You're not a War God yet. Killing is forbidden, and you have no means of sealing demons. Be thankful I acted.”

 

That shut Seiten Taisei down quickly, and his body slacked as rigidly as possible. “None of those other gods mentioned that.”

 

“Of course not.” He left it at that, addressing his unit. “We're returning now!”

 

His unit followed his command to a T, and he followed behind, Seiten Taisei sulking beside him.

 

“I see you're still angry.”

 

“You're an asshole.”

 

“Hearing that from the creature-”

 

“I'm _not_ just some _creature!”_

 

Humour him. “...hearing that from the sage that took my eye out leaves me feeling indifferent.”

 

If anything, speaking to Seiten Taisei killed time, and they reached the forest and its toppled trees in no time. He glanced at an unharmed tree, one of the many with the deeper, longer claw marks. Nothing like Tsuroi's, and the only marked trees Seiten Taisei never laid his claws on. The trees stood out even more with those two qualities.

 

 _Why had those been the only marked trees he ignored?_ He didn't like the feeling that tapped the back of his head. A warning against an unseen force. But asking Seiten Taisei the logic behind his actions felt futile.

 

_That isn't why I'm not asking him._

 

Goko sighed, walking through the waterfall.

 

It just means they're not done here.

 

***

 

After Dragon King Goko filed a report as soon as he returned, Monju and Fugen, left to the company of each other in the chamber, exchanged plain looks.

 

"Although there was some intervention, it seems Seiten Taisei succeeded in his task."

 

"Indeed."  Monju stroked his lion, feeling its soft mane.  "And knowing Seishi Bosatsu..."

 

"...we won't hear the end of it until we finalise our decision."

 

The Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Seiten Taisei, the former 'Protector of Horses'.

 

A new War God for Heaven's troubles.

 


	8. Morsel

_  
_ _Now swallow your pride_

_And let it burn in your chest_

_Hot as burning stars_

_Shout when it melts down your heart_

_And bring else everyone down_

 

 

 

'Creature'. 'Beast'. 'Heretic'. 'Great Sage Equaling Heaven'.

 

'War Prince'.

 

One would think Seiten Taisei got tired of his title constantly morphing, but much the opposite, he reveled in being an existence Heaven could never put their finger on. He'd been as ever-changing as the ocean, and as impossible to rule over as the weather. Even as Heaven's personal killing machine, he retained a free spirit no one else could boast of, no matter how high up the ranks they'd been. And his power left him far from 'disposable'. Time after time they sent him on missions to dispose of fierce creatures and threats to Heaven's prosaic peace, and every time, he returned unscathed, a smile on his face.

 

He'd overheard rumours here and there of the previous War God, one of the very few Heaven could muster up the energy to genuinely respect, but nothing they mentioned of him impressed Seiten Taisei. Rather, he found himself bored, even pitying, that god. Someone obedient, without any pride in his powers and strength.

 

No, if you were gonna be Heaven's killing machine, you'd do it with a smile on your face. You had a luxury no one else had. Seiten Taisei had no doubts that anyone with even the slightest temper nurtured thoughts of murder whenever wronged, but they had no outlet for it. He did. They could look upon him with disdain and hatred all they wanted, fact of the matter was that he did as he pleased, and never had a dull moment in his life.

 

If they really wanted to scorn him, they'd leave him on lethargic nights like these endlessly, sitting in the same peach tree to rest his body and soul. Left only with his thoughts constantly comparing the two.

 

No, he couldn't even think of the night in Heaven as lethargic. It was simply still and stifling. In that case, he knew why everyone in Heaven seemed so on edge. He would be too if he had to call this stifling world his birthplace. Just sitting here, it wasn't the same as the tree in the Lower World near his village. There, he had the distant cadence of life still thriving in the village, and more than two or three animals calling out to each other. Fireflies made the air sparkle, and the moon wrapped the night in its glow.

 

 

Over the months and years that passed idly by, he still preferred Earth's comforts. His reputation well-earned, demons and humans all avoided his village, keeping them safe from harm in his absence. He gave up keeping track of the different flows of time, visiting his village as regularly as he pleased, especially during their winter, boasting of his missions and sharing food and drink with villagers he knew from the time they were children to their time as elders making the most of their short lives.

 

His golden eyes opened in realisation. That was it. That was what made the two worlds different. Earth's fleeting and short lives made things seem so much more permanent in a sense. They were there, and then gone. One had to grasp onto the things and people they grew fond of. A sense of looming urgency that grew with age. In Heaven, things stayed the same. No worries about missing out on something. Nothing to grasp .

 

He fidgeted, his feet now itching to go somewhere. By now, any of his people were surely asleep, with the last sliver of winter finally melting into spring.

 

Brainstorming, Seiten Taisei's head rested on the tree's bark, his claws barely scraping the branches. An image of the smoke demon's forest came to mind. He recalled its marked trees, most destroyed by him, but knew that the other trees, marked by long claws that certainly didn't belong to a bear, still upright. News of that area remained quiet, but every so often, he remembered the place, wondering about what it still hid away from him, Seiten Taisei.

 

Scratching his head, he sighed. “How do people relax on their own like this?” He hopped from the tree. Extending the staff, he let his impulses do the thinking, leading him straight to the Heavenly Eastern Sea. The territory became second nature to him. He always had to head to Goko for access to the Dimensional Gate, as Heaven's head honchos seemed ready to kill themselves at the thought of granting Seiten Taisei direct access to it himself. Consequently, Goko ended up his chauffeur of sorts, although never at night. This would be a first for everyone.

 

At least the dragon's jaw seemed to finally heal from their first encounter. As always, it steered clear of him, and Seishi's pagoda empty. The palace was a piece of cake to enter, and Seiten Taisei shook water off, and finally observed the palace at night. A dark blue hue dyed marble-white walls and floors, and its glass windows allowed water to reflect and ripple along its ceilings, making weapons adorning the walls shimmer with an oddly peaceful glow.

 

As pretty as it was, Seiten Taisei actually had no idea of how to navigate the palace. When he came during the day, Goko was always nearby, so Seiten Taisei never had to search for him. Now, he could be asleep in some hidden room for all he knew.

 

He wandered beyond the vestibule and main hall, going through large double doors that rested below the double staircase. He went right past miscellaneous rooms, a library, a parlour, the works, until finally a secluded room in the very back caught his attention, and he heard movement, like something crafted.

 

Frosted glass walls divided an alcove from the rest of the room, with a divan barely visible where the wall ended. Seiten Taisei heard slight clinks and clunks, but nothing that raised alarm. When he peered over the wall, he spotted Nishaa, Goko's wife, messing with a strange-looking sword. Seiten Taisei knew she helped Goko with his weapons crafting, but this had been his first time seeing her in action. To his surprise, an eye was embedded into its cross guard. Funny, didn't seem possible without killing whatever sorry creature it belonged to before, and it couldn't be Goko's eye. Moreso, the sword's entire exterior seemed organic, rather than steel and iron.

 

Curious, Seiten Taisei looked over her shoulder. “So what's it supposed to be?”

 

Nishaa jumped, dropping a pair of scissors she held. Instantly, she picked them back up, arming herself and swinging around with strong movements.

 

Moving back, Seiten Taisei held his hands up. “It's only me,” he said, “where's Goko?”

 

 

Nishaa put the scissors down. Moving away from the table, she sat on the divan, her shear scarf pooling onto the floor. Unlike Goko, she never hinted disapproval of Seiten Taisei's consistent intruding. She simply sat there, peaceful as could be, with calm, steel grey eyes. She pushed loose strands of lilac hair off her shoulder.

 

“You're not usually here this late,” she noted, “what brings you here?”

 

Admittedly, he rarely spoke to her, but the times he did, he never found reason to dislike her. Her formal, but not unkind, nature was a breath of fresh air.

 

Sitting on the table, Seiten Taisei shrugged. “I wanna go to Earth.”

 

Nishaa smiled, hands in her lap. “I see, you're very fond of that place. I've never been there myself.”

 

“You should.”

 

“I'm afraid I'm not built for that much moving around.” She glanced out the window. “That aside, Goko’s still in his office working on things, I’m just waiting.”

 

Whenever Seiten Taisei heard something like that in Earth, it meant marital problems, but Nishaa didn’t speak wistfully nor hollowly. She and Goko probably established this routine long before Seiten Taisei entered Heaven. He looked behind her, seeing an array of intricately carved weapons mantled on the wall. In the centre, a gold revolver caught his eye. It was the same model as the Eastern Army’s silver revolver, no doubt.

 

Picking up on his curiosity, Nishaa held the revolver, feeling it’s weight. “Before he organised the Eastern Army, he worked with Gojun and Gokin in the West,” she explained, “this is the revolver issued to its members.” It weighed down in her hands. “He’s kept it as a memento of sorts.”

 

The gold didn’t suit him. And the thought of him in the West Army with _those two_ hardasses _really_ didn't suit him. No wonder he organised his own. Surely that wasn't the whole story, but he had no place asking her about it.

 

“Is it loaded?”

 

“Yes. I don’t see the point keeping firearms if they’re not loaded.” Scary woman. She put the revolver away, smiling. “I got that sentiment from an old friend of Goko's, though.”

 

Before Seiten Taisei could ask more, heavy doors opened and closed, and Goko stood in front of them. He spotted Seiten Taisei the instant he entered, and short-lived surprise turned into absolute exhaustion. He sighed, raking a hand through his pale red hair, and instead walked to Nishaa, brushing bangs out of her face.

 

“You’re still up?”

 

Nishaa nods. “I was just finishing up when the Great Sage appeared. I take it you'll be out a bit longer now?”

 

Slowly, Goko turned to Seiten Taisei, who waved at him from his perch on the table. Grimacing, Goko sighed. “It appears I have no choice.” He mustered up his energy, returning to the doorway without looking at Seiten Taisei.

 

In front of the doors, he finally faced the sage. “What is it now? You’re never here this late.” Like clockwork, he drew his silver revolver.

 

Seiten Taisei stretched, muscles ready. “I know. I know, this is supposed to be namby pamby time with Nishaa. But I gotta head to the Lower World.”

 

The revolver went off. To no one’s surprise, the sage caught it in his mouth. He bit into it, bursting it like a grape.

 

He spat out remnants. “No matter how any times you try, you’re not gonna hit me.”

 

Goko put the revolver away. “It’s a matter of principle. The day you either get hit or don’t catch a bullet is the day I don’t have to escort you everywhere.”

 

Then he’s never gonna succeed. “I’m not a dog to play fetch with, yanno.”

 

“You'd fool a lot of people.”

 

Seiten Taisei made a face, jumping in front of him whilst the two walked forward. Staring ahead, the distance between the sea and Dimensional Gate was nothing to sniff at, and he disliked the thought of wakling in complete silence. His eyes trailed to Goko's revolver, finally replacing where he kept his old sword.

 

Linking his hands behind his head, Seiten Taisei smirked. “So, you were part of the Western Army?”

 

Taking a step back, Goko's eye widened. Slowly, the light disappeared from him. “I see Nishaa's been talking.”

 

“Don't blame her, I asked about the revolver on your wall.” Walking backwards, Seiten Taisei laughed. “And here I thought you were a major perfectionist. And Nishaa, she's a bit scarier than I thought. But, that 'friend' she was talking about, who was he? What happened to him?” he recalld the sound of Nishaa's voice when mentioning him, and it wasn't the sort one used to speak of the living. “He die or something? And that's why you left the West Army?”

 

Goko brushed past him. “You have a sieve for a brain.”

 

Seiten Taisei kept at his heels. “Just _tell_ me. I'm curious.”

 

“Continue to pester me and you can forget about going to the Lower World.”

 

Well that won't do. With a huff, Seiten Taisei lowered his arms. The walk to the Dimensional Gate continued in silence, until they reached it, and instead entering the vital info, Goko leaned against the machine.

 

“Now why am I here? I sympathise with wanting to visit your people, but _not_ when I'm supposed to be resting, Seiten Taisei.”

 

What a stick in the mud, but Seiten Taisei followed suit, going right to business. “That village we were in a while back, I wanna go there.”

 

Goko narrowed his ice-blue eyes. “Why?”

 

Now that was a stupid question. Kicking at the gate with great impatience, Seiten Taisei shook his head. “Seriously? You're not the least bit curious about the marked trees I didn't knock down. I saw you stare at me when I didn't. And I know that if _I_ noticed them, you did too.”

 

Goko lingered, but ultimately entered the vitals without a single word, rushing in front of Seiten Taisei. “We investigate, and then we return with our findings.” He glared down at the young man. “Do not act on your own.”

 

He walked through the blinding gold light, leaving the sage to himself for a split second.

 

“Wouldn't _dream_ of it.”

 

***

 

Winter hit the forest hard. The waterfall's exterior froze, leaving small remnants of water below to still run its course, and snow piled high on leafless trees. Each step crunched under Seiten Taisei and Goko's feet. The sage himself wasn't immune to winter's bitter chill, and the cold air stung his lungs. He focused on finding the upright, marked trees, with their long claw marks and deep curves.

 

“The bear demon certainly didn't have the finesse to make them.” Tracing his hand over one such tree, Goko nodded to himself. “It might've been a normal creature if not to the size of marks.”

 

“So it's a demon,” Seiten Taisei surmised.

 

“Most likely. Remember, when we find out more, don't ju--”

 

“Act my own, wait for orders, yadda yadda, more obedience-thumping. I get the memo.” He flexed his claws, and cut a tree down without warning. “But you gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelet, or something.”

 

The tactic worked with the bear, so whatever they dealt with now would surely react the same way. Again, tree after tree crashed down, and with them came heaping piles of snow, covering him and Goko in its chill. Now only did this intend to lure the demon out, but it kept Seiten Taisei warmer as a bonus.

 

After the fifth tree or so, he paused, waiting for a sign of life. No roars shook the forest. No, the most he heard was another pair of feet crunching snow beneath them. A scrawny, pale-skinned man in ragged clothes appeared from the trees' destruction, breath visible from all his panting and his amber eyes wide.

 

“What... are you _doing_?” His tense tone betrayed the shock he feigned. No, his _scent_ betrayed his feigned shock.

 

Seiten Taisei did not allow Goko a word in edgewise. “Why's a man as sorry looking as you wandering about the forest in winter?”

 

The man bit his lip. “I... am not so well-off to have winter clothing.”

 

“But you're well-off to reak of blood in the middle of winter when everything's sleeping.”

 

“Not all animals ar--”

 

“Not once did I say it was animal blood.” Seiten Taisei walked toward the man, ignoring Goko's fierce protests. “Tell me, what's with the trees here? All marked like that?”

 

The man stepped back and against a tree. As close as Seiten Taisei was, he noticed the single looped earring he wore on his left ear. “They're... the territory of demons that rest here.” He gulped. “Of the lion-demon Hayai.”

 

“Oh?” Seiten Taisei looked to Goko, unhappy, but resigned. “Only one demon had this place as territory, huh?”

 

Goko nodded. “Seems that way.”

 

“The bear-demon Tsuyoi perished several months ago.”

 

The man spoke to air, and in swift movements, Seiten Taisei appeared behind him, yanking on the earring, hissing into his ear. “And I think it's high time the one feasting one passing humans, and worse, trying to pull the wool over _my eyes_ , joins his bear pal, doncha agree?”

 

Frozen stiff, the man gritted his teeth. “How... did you know?”

 

“Your appearance was way too convenient and cliché. Not to mention you reak of human blood. Had a tasty snack on your way here, huh?”

 

As slowly as possible, he pulled the earring right out of the man's earlobe, tossing it to be lost in the snow.

 

The man howled, his body distorted, twisted, and turned, the bones crackling and jerking in every direction beneath his whitening skin. His torso extended unnaturally, and soon his top half toppled over, leaving him on all fours. Skin turned to fur, and gurgling growl scared off any animals within the forest. Where a normal man once stood was a massive, slender, tiger-like creature, spikes protruding along his spine. Anger, bitterness, and utter hatred replaced the impression of a meek man

 

Unimpressed with Hayai's size, Seiten Taisei quirked up a brow. _I can see why the ugly bastard hid himself._

 

Saliva puddled beneath the demon tiger's jaw, with specks of blood falling out his left ear. _“You're an observant one...”_

 

Wasting no time, Hayai's flank rose, hind legs poised to pounce. With a great leap, he went straight for the duo. Seiten Taisei dodged in no time, but Goko was too slow for the beast, the most he managed was fending Hayai's bite with his revolver, but the lion ran before he could pull the trigger. It wasn't that his reflexes trumped Goko, nor could he even remotely compare to Seiten Taisei's speed, it just seemed his instincts knew when to get out of danger.

 

Goko turned to the left, but seconds before he completed his turn, Hayai jerked to the right – his blindspot, and swiped his clawed paw right down his shoulder. The impact knocked Goko over, and the only thing saving him was his trained impulses. The instant he went down, he rolled to his back, ignoring the blood pouring into the soil below him, and aimed for the tiger's amber eye. Hayai yowled – if one could call the nasty caterwaul that – and jumped away, but a bullet that small couldn't do anything significant to a demon Hayai's size.

 

Hunched over, but not giving in, Hayai bared his fangs. _“You're wondering why your comrade hasn't stepped in after disobeying your orders.”_

 

Panting, Goko stood up, not cradling his injury. “What... did you say?”

 

“ _You're wondering why he hasn't finished this yet. And now you're wondering why it is I'm able to anticipate your movements.”_

 

Interesting. Seiten Taisei stood back, listening to Hayai's talk. He never moved his mouth when speaking. The words flowed into the air like leaves. Hayai turned to him.

 

“ _You're dangerously arrogant to just sit there.”_

 

Seiten Taisei stuck his tongue out. Nosy little feline.

 

A growl vibrated in Hayai's throat, and he went straight for Seiten Taisei, left claw ready to rake into his body. The sage intended to jump to the right to avoid him, but, against all odds, the lion landed a hit on him, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and War God Seiten Taisei, _from the right,_. The strike sent him flying into a tree, cracking the trunk a great deal and knocking the wind out of him.

 

Laying the snow, it wasn't the blood from his side that was hot. It was the blood in him. Boiling, on fire, for reasons unknown to him. It made his mouth dry, and his body tremble.

 

This wasn't fear. It wasn't anger. It was something else.

 

He heard Goko's revolver shoot, until the gunshots turned into empty clicks, and the sound of another body slamming into another tree. Hayai anticipated their _every move_ since the second they got here. The lion skulked to Seiten Taisei, intent to kill staining the frigid air, but Seiten Taisei's blood boiled into his head and steamed out his ears. He felt the jaws and hot, heavy panting of the massive lion-demon right over him.

 

His body moved before he could think. Smiling, he allowed the lion to clamp his mouth right over him, ready to swallow him whole, but the second the lion threw his head back to gulp him down, Seiten Taisei extended his staff, forcibly opening his jaw. Seiten Taisei sat in the tiger’s mouth, ignoring how rancid the tiger’s breath filled up his nose and skulked down his throat.

 

Hayai violently shook his head, his roars ringing in Seiten Taisei’s ears.

 

Sitting cross-legged, Seiten Taisei propped his chin in his hands. His blood still white-hot. _The mind-reading trick is pretty convenient, I want to ask you something in private._

 

The lion did not respond, locked in a futile effort to dislodge Seiten Taisei. With a tap of the staff, it extended, forcibly widening his mouth to the point the jawbone started to creak and crack. Hayai cried out in pain, thrashing about violently. All his screams made spit erupt from his throat and onto Seiten Taisei's _entire_ body.

 

Wiping saliva off his face, Seiten Taisei sighed. The things he did for success. It took all he could to make his blood cease its burning.

 

“Stop screaming, neither of us wanna be in this situation. You’re getting spit all over me.” It wasn’t like he _enjoyed_ sitting in the whiny thing’s mouth. It was hot, slippery, and wet. What could be worse?

 

_If this is anything like eating someone out, I’ll pass._

 

“ _Get out! Get out get out get out!”_

 

The staff extended once more. Hayai writhed in pain, and resorted to smashing his head against tree after tree. Clawed hand wrapped around his treasured staff, Seiten Taisei did not budge. He sat there, calm as ever.

 

Eyes closed, he felt the heat in his blood finally cool. He took a deep breath, smiling without notice.

 

_I’ll only leave after you answer something._

 

Hayai stopped writhing and lowered his head. _“What is it?”_

 

Seiten Taisei shortened hid staff. “Why do you and Hayai hate that village?” If one could it that.

Rumbling in his throat, Hayai growled. _“I won’t forgive them.”_

_For what?_

“ _For_ usurping _our home. We marked this forest as ours, and yet they invaded it for their own hunting and disturbed our peace.”_

 

Bingo.

 

Crossing his arms, Seiten Taisei chuckled. “Humans settled here and disturbed your territories. And now you're looking to them for food.” He imagined winter made it all the worse, what with humans hunting around here and taking what the demons claimed as their own prey.

 

Hayai nodded.

 

Then the War God had nothing to worry about. “So be it.” He tucked his staff, the size of a needle, behind his ear. “Do as you please.” War God to Heaven or not, Seiten Taisei was still a child of Earth. The balance of nature, delicate as it was, remained a top priority. He had the lion to thank for reminding him of that.

 

Hayai kept silent for a moment, before lowering his head in an almost reverent fashion. _“You realise I will kill them.”_

 

 _So what?_ They weren’t Seiten Taisei’s villagers. He had no reason to babysit every faction of humans he came across. _If they were my people, I’d stick your head onto a stake, feed them with your body, and leave the fur as clothes. But this random group isn’t mine._ If they wanted to disturb this creature’s home - the most sacred offence his people never broke -, they’ll deal with the consequences themselves.

 

Finally, he leapt out of Hayai's mouth, landing in a fresh patch of snow. To his right, falling snow almost entirely covered Goko’s blood. Hayai jumped, his hind leg sinking into the snow for a split second, destroying any trace of blood, and went in the little village’s direction.

 

Spinning on his heel, Seiten Taisei made his way to the Dimensional Gate. He walked in silence a great deal of the way, but his keen ears soon picked up on distant screams.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seiten Taisei kinkshames vore, the chapter.


	9. Shards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've been waiting to get this scene done for ages.

_Wind blows into life_

_Rustling the Earth_

_Weaving around all that breathes_

_Crying out for the next dawn_

_Everything opens_

 

 

In front of the Dimensional Gate, Nishaa watched the elaborate doors with unblinking grey eyes. She gripped the ends of her shawl. Behind her, the room's heavy stone doors opened and closed with slow creaking, and she turned to face Gokin and Gojun.

  


With a composed look, she nodded to them. “I'm sorry for disturbing you, normally I'd try asking Gojin about this, but...” She closed her eyes, recalling Gojin's injury.

  


Gojun's attention turned to the gate's device. “Nishaa's what's this about? You've never shown interest in the Lower World.”

  


“A bit ago, Goko went through the gate.” She heistated to go on. “Seiten Taisei came to the palace, requesting to go through.”

  


Gokin furrowed his brow. “Goko's humouring that damned thing again?”

  


“Seiten Taisei at least waits for morning,” Gojun noted.

  


Nishaa looked back at the grand gate. “I know, but he wouldn't stick around while Seiten Taisei wanders around. He usually comes straight back. I'd check myself, but I don't have authorised--”

  


Before she could finish, Gokin walked to the device, typing his code in and opening the gate. Facing the bright light without so much as squinting, he cracked his neck, muttering to himself. “I didn't go to bed expecting my sister-in-law to wake me in order to get my brother.”

  


With Gokin just about to enter code, the Dimensional Gate opened on its own, with Goko's figure appearing in its gold light. Blood fell where he walked, but he stayed upright, not covering his wounded shoulder. Nishaa rushed to him, bunching her shawl up and applying it to the wound. She half-expected Seiten Taisei, without a single scratch, to bound out as well, but Goko returned alone. If they got into it, Nishaa couldn't imagine the War God letting Goko leave with just a gash on his shoulder.

  


“ _What happened?”_

  


Goko kept a hand over hers. “Seiten Taisei had us return to the village Seishi Bosatsu assigned us prior to his time as a War God. Another demon calling himself 'Hayai' surfaced.”

  


Gojun crossed his arms. “There's more to it, surely.”

  


“Typically, a demon of his calibre wouldn't be a problem for me, but this one seemed to read my every move.”

  


“So mind-reading,” Gokin assumed.

  


Goko nodded. “Although I'd like to assume Seiten Taisei will take care of Hayai myself.” He sighed, looking down. “He was just toying with the thing when I gathered my senses. Something doesn't set right with me.” He straightened up, tying the shawl as tight as he could. “I intend on returning after getting some ammunition.”

  


“Dumbass, you gonna play shoot 'em up with your shoulder like that?” Gokin raked his hand through his hair. “Let Gojun and I take care of the damn thing.”

  


“I'm fine.”

  


Not bothering to listen to their bickering, Nishaa stiffened. When Goko set his sights on settling something, she knew there was no stopping him. In that case, if she couldn't stop him, she could help him.

  


“Goko, let me see your revolver.”

  


Goko blinked. “Nishaa?”

  


“Let me see it,” she urged, “I didn't choose to marry a military man with a penchant for collecting and crafting weapons to just stand idly by when you have something to take care of.”

  


***

Watching the waterfall rush downward, Goko listened to the gate close and disappear behind him. Gokin and Gojun both him, neither saying a word.

  


He looked over his revolver, the weight of it heavier than usual. Half-tempted to check the cylinder, is grip tightened, returning the gun to holster. Oftentimes, Goko felt Nishaa knew him too well.

  


Gōjun’s eyes bore in the back of his head. “Are you sure about this?”

  


“Don’t tell me you see your old pal in that thing.” Gokin walked past him, cutting the younger brothers off. “If you pull the same shit as back then, there ain’t any guarantee I can cover your ass.”

  


Although he stopped, Goko didn’t waver. “You're bringing that up now?”

  


“Hard to let it go.”

  


The only thing preventing silence was Goko's sigh. He didn't need Gokin mistaking this as some sort of cameraderie between Goko and Seiten Taisei. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Goko took no enjoyment out of Seiten Taisei's company, and each day that feeling sizzled with louder crackles. Something burrowed right under their feet regarding the Heretic, and it reminded Goko of the same burrowing in his right eye the first day he and Seiten Taisei crossed paths.

  


His revolver bumped against his hip, its silver gleam paired nicely with what bits of snow remained. The gold of the Western Army's revolver would seem washed out, he thought.

It'd been awhile since he thought of the Western Army, and _that_ revolver had blood on it that Goko didn't need on the silver one. It was a wonder how he lasted in the Western Army for so long, especially after the previous War God's incident.

The late War God wasn't a Heretic, just the product of two low-classed denizens in Heaven. Certain traditions made it so only the aristocratic could have children. But one affair broke that up. He hadn't been born with eyes that burnt like Seiten Taisei, sharing the violet gleam that nearly all gods shared, but his birth, still forbidden, put him and his family in a difficult position with the higher-ups. Heaven tentatively bestowed the young man the title of 'War God' to dampen the flames.

 

Goko couldn't be bothered to remember his name. Heaven went through too many War Gods for names to be remembered. They were a way to keep Heaven's hands clean and the War God out of everyone's hair. That man was no different. What Goko remembered of him was his conduct. An earnest young man, good-natured, with admirable work ethic. He took his position seriously and in-stride, and Heaven's underground scorn towards his family did not snuff the light out his eyes.

 

He never enjoyed his role, but he took it in stride.

 

“ _It passes the time,”_ he once explained.

 

He'd been the first War God Goko regularly spoke to, developing ties with the Western Army for the sake of having units during more trying missions. More often than not, it'd just be for appearance. The Jade Emperor forbid their direct involvement, much to Goko and Gojun's chagrin, but the latter didn't step out of line, thus neither did Goko.

 

 _I usually just opted my units out of his assignments._ With Seiten Taisei, he could barely manage to opt out of _interacting_ with him.

 

Seiten Taisei's zeal for the position seemed to numb Heaven to the War God's traditional fate. Before him, people at least acknowledged it for the puppet-killing it bred, but now the title seemed tossed around with hardly any of its previous weight. The late War God would've never gotten away with going in and out of Heaven to the Lower World, with or without supervision.

 

Then again it was indeed unreasonable to compare the influence of an arrogant Earth-born Heretic to some heavenly couple's illegitmate child.

 

Goko slowed his pace, glancing at Gokin. “I suppose... if it were like that, I would feel a sense of urgency.” Seiten Taisei enjoyed what he did, and could take care of himself against a demon like Hayai. He moved faster than he thought. The late War God was his polar opposite in that aspect. An overthinker action wise. That got him killed ages ago in the first place on what should have been a run-of-the-mill assignment.

 

Goko's revolver felt heavier,unstained by the blood that burrowed its scent into his golden model. His unit forced to accept an assignment, and a single instant of the War God's hesitant nature being his final. Inglorious, ungraceful, nothing like the melodrama of a novel death, and swatted down like a fly. Impulsive thinking drove Goko to take the demon down before it could wreck havoc on a _severely_ unprepared unit. The unit, professionally trained, did not anticipate the assignment to go so awry, and the demon's quick movements caught them off guard. In a single second, Goko ultimately tossed all his reputation in the Western Army down the drain.

 

 _Gojun_ ran the Western Army it like a well-oiled machine, with a particular adherence to the rules that even Goko and his Eastern Army couldn't share. He'd never been rebellious, but rule-bending here and there got him through the day. But that single instance changed that completely, and suddenly his quick-thinking turned into impulsive behaviour in the eyes of Heaven.

He'd been promptly dismissed from the army. Gojin and Gokin pulled all the strings behind preventing a worse-off result, and Gojun stayed completely out of the matter. Between the drama and sudden loss of the a War God, the Western Army found their resources stretched thin.

Some time after, the Eastern Army came to light.

Logically speaking, Gojin and Gokin seemed the most likely candidates to lead it, but Gojin reasoned that disrupting his work as Heaven's 'ambassador' in the Lower World, and moreso Gokin's role in disciplinary action, would've left either position empty, and very, _very_ few others in Heaven were bred to so much as take responsibility for _themselves_ , let alone other people.

Shaking his head, Goko sighed, forcing himself back to the present. He looked dead ahead, putting distance between him and Gokin. “I’m concerned about taking care of the demon.”

The elder scoffed. “Our all-powerful War God can take care of himself.”

_Assuming he chose to._

Moving around Gokin, Goko pressed on. Something crept up his shoulders ever since he reached the Dimensional Gate. Vicious as he was, Seiten Taisei never bothered toying with his opponents for more than a few seconds before slaughtering them. Hayai should have been _no different_ , but reaching the snow-covered clearing, the War God left behind no corpse. In fact, minus the demon’s frenzy, there weren’t any footsteps either. _Except_ Seiten Taisei’s, and those went in the gate’s direction.

  


_Why haven’t we crossed paths, then?_

  


He looked closer, noticing Seiten Taisei’s footprints divulged from the gate, towards the village.

  


“ _He didn’t...”_

  


“Goko,” Gojun called for his attention, “what are you thinking?”

  


Goko didn’t answer, focused on his surroundings. No demon. No War God. Instead, he heard distant, _primal_ screaming. Hardly passing as human.

  


Goko drew his revolver, poised as ever. “I’m going to the village.”

  


“Hold it, do you even know what’s-”

  


“I have a good idea, stay here. Both of you.”

  


Gokin followed. “Why the hell should we stay behind when your injured ass is the one tryna play the hero?”

  


“I have no doubt he hasn’t left. This is the Earth’s offspring we’re talking about. He wouldn’t be so quick to leave when no one’s around to tell him otherwise.”

  


He knew Gokin tried to follow anyway, but Gojun held him back. Goko didn't stick around to see what he told Gokin. Instead he made brisk movements through the forest. Something clung to the air. Something unnatural.

  


Lost in the feeling weaving around him, he stopped short of a tall cypress. Sitting high in its branches, Seiten Taisei reclined in the trunk. His gold eyes crept to Goko, sparking with a light of recognition. “You’re back?”

  


“Where is Hayai, Seiten Taisei?”

  


The War God pursed his lips together, looking around the forest with a shrug. “Beats me.” He jumped out, landing behind Goko. “Your best bet is the village.”

  


The _village?_

  


"Why didnt you subdue him.” His tone held no curiosity, so anger. Shock numbed his reaction. Seiten Taisei answered him, his words clinging and swinging in the air.

 

“Cos there wasn’t reason to.”

 _Reason_.

Goko’s shoulders tensed, but he fought down the urge. “It isn’t… Your place to discern whether there is or is not reason to subdue a creature when you _know_ what Heaven would order.”

“So I’m supposed to _wait_ for orders before every move I make?”

Goko avoided the War God's sharp gold eyes.  “I never said that.”

Seiten Taisei linked his hands behind his head, kicking dirt up. “Then the village ain’t my problem.”

“You plan on leaving them for dead.”

“I ain’t planning anything.” In an instant, he disappeared, reappearing on a branch in front of Goko. He swung himself upside down, cutting the man’s oath off. “It’s not my place interfering with Hayai’s territory. Those humans knew what they were doing occupying his and Tsuyoi’s territory. They were gonna suffer consequences eventually.”

“You…” Goko swallowed his frustration, pressing forward.

“Where’re you goin’?”

“To take care if Hayai myself.”

A flurry of footsteps followed him, and Seiten Taisei blocked his way.

“If you don’t want to involve yourself, don’t impede _my_ response.”

Seiten Taisei didn't budge.  “Don’t interfere. Not now.” Severity unbecoming of the War God darkened his gold, burning eyes. “Messing around with what’s expected will just make everything worse. It’s like pulling weeds and being shocked they return in greater numbers.”

Goko shoved him aside. Seiten Taisei yanked him back by the end of his cape, the feral look in his eyes ophidian in nature.  Different from his gleam when demanding to enter Heaven's ranks.

Unimpressed, Goko shook his head.  “Then _you_ protect the village.”

“No.”

“Don’t waste my time, then.”

Seiten Taisei opened his mouth to reply, reaching out to stop Goko, but the distinct sound pf chains cut him off, and something soon dragged him away and out of Goko’s face. The War God hit a tree with a yell, and in his frustration, clawed the tree down effortlessly.

The heavy weight around his ankle loosened, swinging through the air and to the ground with a deep thud.

 

Behind them, Gokin swung the weight behind his shoulders, fearlessly staring Seiten Taisei down. Ever since Seiten Taisei entered Heaven, Gokin boasted the position of being the only being who succeeded in getting one over the Heretic. Gokin kept his distance from Seiten Taisei, poised for him to retaliate. Even when Seiten Taisei neglected the opportunity to strike back, Gokin didn't so much as move a muscle.

  


“There you go again, freezing up.” Gokin looked to Goko, waving him away dismissively. “A single demon should be no big deal for the Eastern Army's Grand Marshal. Tryna make out this prick's reason behind it ain't gonna end well.” He looked around, tensing at the sound of Seiten Taisei stirring. “Gojun's up and disappeared, move your ass and get goin'.”

  


Revolver in hand, Goko didn't need to be told twice.

***

Against the tree, Seiten Taisei stood without thinking. His head felt empty. He knew this was the second time Gokin got the best of him. He also knew Gokin used this as an excuse to fight him. But the impact of hitting the tree reminded him of Hayai's attack. Further in his memory, it reminded him of his first run-in with Gokin.

His blood was on _fire_. It burned his brain and chest and ears. His unfocused eyes trailed to the ground, a mixture of white snow and blackened dirt.

He heard Gokin's 'chigiriki' chain rattle, and the noise made his hand twitch. Gokin kept poised, alone. Seiten Taisei didn't know where Gojun went off to. He didn't care, really. Something he couldn't make out painted ove his usual confidence. Not fear. Never fear. But something much, much stronger. It buzzed in his ears like white noise.

At the sound of Gokin's footsteps crunching remnants of snow, Seiten Taisei shot up. He forgoed nyoi-bo, instead grappling the chigiriki's stave with his bare hand, seeing the weight crash down on a branch in the corner of his eye.

The two stood in a stalemate, neither daring to make a sudden move. In their position, a wrong move could open them up to an unfortunate fate.

Gokin's intent shot up Seiten Taisei' arm from the weapon like a snake. It rippled through, alerting him, and Gokin took advantage. He didn't swing at Seiten Taisei, instead swinigng the stave randomly, and the swing jerked the chigiriki's angle the worst way possible. The blade on its other end swept over from the chain's weight thumping into the ground.

Warm blood rushing out clashed with the icy air rushing in, and a wound from his right shouler to his flank split Seiten Taisei's torso open. Deep enough that blood poured out, but shallow enough to keep his innards from toppling out on display.

He fell to his hands and knees, twitching and throbbing at every surge of blood splattering out his body. His body and pride, wounded by Gokin, convulsed in his throat.

_Thump thump, thump thump._

Digging his claws into the dirt, Seiten Taisei gritted his teeth. He could hardly breathe. _Heal_ , he needed to heal. He stared at the ground, feeling the Earth's aura pulsate under and around him, always there, always spinning around him.

_Thump thump, thump thump._

Gold eyes widened, and the earth stayed still. Frozen and cold. Blood still rushed out.

 _Thump thump._ _Thump thump._

Why wasn't Earth reacting?

Hearing Gokin dismiss the chigiriki, Seiten Taisei looked up. The Dragon King of the South Sea moved towards him only a few feet, arms crossed and piercing green eyes indifferent to Seiten Taisei's condition.

“Now you really do look like roadkill.” He watched Seiten Taisei frantically summon the Earth's powers, scowling. “Don't bother. Did you forget? That regulator suppresses enough of your powers to keep you from disrupting the environment, even in the Lower World.”

_Thump thump, thump thump._

Gokin stopped short of where the blood spread. “As much as I'd like to put you down, killing's still forbidden, even for me.”

He ignored him. He needed to heal. He was hurt, in pain. He tugged at the regulator, knowing full well it burnt and squeezed around his head, made the skin and hair beneath sizzle. He clawed at it, feeling his claws bend and chip beneath, his hands stumbling and slipping around and over it. His frantic movement made blood and pain stir all at once, and Gokin just stood there and watched.

“Attacking you wasn't on the agenda, but I'm pissed off. I don't much care for the Lower World, but I care even less for people like you who act like they can do whatever the hell they want, and lemme tell ya, decidin' to let that sort of demon cut loose _really_ put you on the shitlist.”

All he said was just white noise. Seiten Taisei could care less. Get the regulator off. Get it off. Get it _off_. Anyway he could think of.

_Thump thump. Thump thump._

Ripping the regulator off, as he knew very well, was a futile effort. It'd been like a chained collar around a dog's throat. Suppressing him. Limiting him. Humiliating him in front of this overgrown lizard of a god more than once.

So why didn't he feel angry?

Anger nor fear drove the fire coursing through him. He just... couldn't put his finger on it.

His out of focus state snapped when he saw Gokin make another step at him. Just like last time, Seiten Taisei leapt for him, a cornered rat defending himself. Caught off guard, Gokin once again summoned his weapon, the weighted side facing Seiten Taisei.

In that split second, Seiten Taisei caught the other end's blade gleam in the snowy light. He summoned nyoi-bo, slamming it right down the chigiriki's stave. The two weapons shook against one another, neither backing down.

“Stop it!” Gokin dug his heels into the ground, refusing to be pushed back. “Are you really askin' for a death wish here?!” Contradicting his warning, Gokin thrust the weapon down, the blade coming upwards and toward Seiten Taisei's face.

Despite himself, Seiten Taisei dismissed nyoi-bo. The last thing he saw before the blade made contact with his head was Gokin's thunderstruck expression. Blood filled his vision, but, honestly, he didn't need to see. He heard, and he felt. He heard and felt the regulator cut by the blade, splitting and shattering off.

The inury hurt. He stood for what might've been ages holding the side of his face with blood covering his hand. He heard blood drip down into little puddles, and the forest shut-down in silence. Even his breathing, ragged, barely went above the sound of the stark wind.

Then everything went still.

_Thump._

He jumped back, golden eyes snapping open, and knelt to the Earth. _Now_ , he felt it react. Resonate with his life, his body and soul. The debris of trees and dirt, and the Earth's aura itself, gathered around him, and the very state of nature itself altered in his favour. Warmer, with no snow in sight, eliminating the clashing warmth and chill of his wounds.

He felt renewed, reborn. The Earth stirred all around him, from the solid ground to swirling clouds above.

Gokin stepped back, sweat visibly falling from his brow. “You've... gotta be jokin'.”

Hearing his voice, Seiten Taisei's hand fell to his side, and he breathed the Earth's air in. The air filled his lungs. Seiten Taisei's lungs. Not a War God, not a Heretic, but the Earth's child, one who essentially ran away for something shiny, but came back for the comforts of his birthplace. A new energy coursed through him. Or rather, familiar energy. Liveliness that Heaven robbed him of with not only the regulator, but its languid, never-ending nature down to its core. _Nothing_ changed in Heaven. So it came to no one's surprise it could not reign in Seiten Taisei's true nature.

His thumping heart went into overdrive, and, surrounded by the Earth, he found a name for what he felt. A feeling he was intimately familiar and fond of in the heat of conflict.

 _Excitement_.

Without a word, he advanced, not waiting for Gokin to make a move. The Dragon King had no chance to defend himself. One second, Seiten Taisei moved for him, the next, he went straight past him, something in his hand.

“I have to thank you.”Carelessly, Seiten Taisei dropped the spoil of his attack, and turned to watch Gokin, his hand covering the wound, stand, frozen stiff. The shock must've numbed the pain. For now, anyway. “I _nearly_ forgot how _good_ a challenge felt.”

Only half-aware of the Great Sage's presence, with the pain finally sinking in, Gokin's mouth opened. What started as tremour of a stutter turned into something too primal to call screaming, and now _he_ was the one down on his knees, with blood pooling around him and sinking into the dirt.

Annoyed, Seiten Taisei grimaced. Thankful for his great speed, he effortlessly left Gokin to his own devices, but his _noise_ still rang in Seiten Taisei's keen ears. He made himself comfortable in a far-off tree, at the middleground between the forest's clearing and the village.

Observing his claws, he leaned into the village's direction. No doubt, Hayai was still alive, and with Goko's injury, he was hard-pressed to defeat a mind-reading lion-demon on his own. Right, if Seiten Taisei had to guess, that guy concerned himself more with keeping as few humans as possible out of the demon's belly, roughing himself up in the process. Those humans were doomed if he was all the help they were gonna get.

“Serves 'em right.” 

 


	10. Remnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y'all i dont even have a good excuse i was just sad all month and playing mystic messenger lmao

_ The clouds stir faintly _

_ Hardened by calls of blue jays _

_ And swinging monkeys  _

_ Far through the air's atmosphere _

_ Encased by dragonfly eyed-beads _

 

A group of villagers from Chaand left with every intention of escaping a demon’s menace.

 

By an ironic twist of fate, they relocated to an area where two demons had been sealed in its nearest forest.

 

It was entirely possible they were a group of individuals doomed no matter where they went.

 

By the time Goko reached the village, it’d been far too late.  Hayai was nowhere in sight.  No one was insight.  Just discarded possessions and clothes.  Half-eaten bodies,  destroyed buildings.  Everything and everyone sprawled out like scattered stars.  He covered his mouth and nose, the scent of carnage overwhelming his senses.

 

He kept himself hidden, spotting a man, pinned down by Hayai’s paw, struggle and scream, trying to push the demon’s jaws away, to no avail.

 

He stopped himself from rushing in.  He hated letting the demon do as it pleased, but no good would come of him acting predictably, Hayai would have the advantage before Goko could blink.  He remained still, forced to hear screams and futile struggling come to an abrupt end, interrupted by deep, rigid crunching and tearing noises.  

 

There was no point interrupting the demon's meal. Only after Hayai swallowed the last portion of the body up did Goko speak.

 

“Are you satisfied?”

 

With blood dripping down his fur, Hayai looked at Goko.  _ “So you're back.”  _ He spit out chewed up remains of a rake.  _ “But not soon enough.” _

 

Hayai misunderstood. Goko knew better than to brand himself a hero saving as much of a village as he could. Demons attacked human villages and vice versa every day. He'd never get a wink of sleep worrying about every little instance. Hayai just so happened to be encouraged to have his temper tantrum, and more than happy to indulge it. That was Goko's problem, and nipping it proved still possible.

 

Before Goko had a chance to draw his revolver, Hayai spoke.  _ “Shooting me won't do anything. You calculate every aim.” _

 

“That's true,” Goko admitted, “and while this is unrelated, I have a question.”

 

Hayai tilted his massive head.

 

“Why did you attack these people?”

 

The demon rumbled, stretching out his muscular neck, the veins straining with his movements.  _ “For as long as I can remember, we've been confined to this area.” _

 

“'We'?”

 

“ _ Tsuroi as well. Both of us confined to this territory by a man  _ neither _ of us met.” _ He bore his fangs, snarling.  _ “With animals to feed on, we accepted it. But these humans settled here, and their constant disturbance of our territory somehow eliminated the confinement.”  _ He stretched with a roar.  _ “I've no complaints, but intruding nonetheless infuriates me.” _

 

Goko narrowed his eyes. What person had the power to seal a demon like this? Let alone what sort of  _ human _ could. Humans screwing up a low-level seal was easy. Pulling it off? Not so much.

 

“ _ That's _ the reason you terrorised – ravaged this village?”

 

“ _ Would having a better reason dissuade you from pointing a revolver at me?” _

 

Goko closed his eyes, pushing growing frustration down.

 

“Have you ever heard of Russian Roulette?”

  
  


“ _ What? Why ask such a-” _

  
  


Just as Goko lifted the revolver, the demon froze, barely avoiding the shot  in time. He looked where it whizzed past, ears flattened, and one shot through.  Although he growled and shook the pain off, slight alarm blinked in his eyes.

  
  


Poised, Goko conjured up enough bravado to keep his composure with this plan.  “Tranq or bullet? Maths isn’t my forte, but I’d say that at that point, you had 1/3 a chance of that being a real bullet.” He shortly lowered the gun. “I can’t say I’m paying much attention once I shoot.”

  
  


Hayai backed away.  _ “You’re… Not bluffing. A Heavenly being is willing to kill?” _

  
  


“You tell me.”

  
  


In a flash, Hayai lashed out.

 

_ Dodge left. _

  
  


Right before he dodged, Hayai swept to the right, blocking his path. He struck down, and Goko went left, barely avoiding the attack.

  
  


Think the typical dodge. Wait for Hayai to move. Dodge opposite at the last second. Not a fun strategy, but he didn’t have much a choice.

  
  


“ _ It’s predictable.” _

  
  


“You think so?”

 

As much as Goko hate to admit it, it’d been the War God that inspired him.  Seiten Taisei had  _ one  _ redeeming feature: moving fast enough he couldn’t think. He ran purely on instinct.  

  
  


So does a soldier.

  
  


Hayai lurched forward, quickly picking up on where Goko would dodge, and cutting him short with a heavy stomp of his paw. Bloodied rags from villagers' clothing flapped, caught between or impaled Hayai's claws, and the stench of meat came in waves from his breathing. Stead, Goko backed up, careful not to slip on broken house boards. As much as he hated to admit it, he was thankful there wasn't anyone left to protect. He couldn't afford the distraction.

 

At the last second, Goko dived between Hayai's legs, shooting one before running off behind another building. It was, by all means, a game of cat and mouse, and not a productive one at that. He really hated playing on defence.

 

Second bullet. It burst into Hayai's hind leg, making him falter long enough for a second shot in his other leg. Two more bits of ammo gone.

 

Goko recalled Nishaa's voice.

 

“ _ I'm not worried about whether or not you'd go through with if you did know, so which one is a bullet is my little secret.” _

 

Hayai's fur bristled. His mind-reading couldn't work properly if his own opponent didn't know entirely what he was doing. Goko didn't care for acting like a fool, especially when this was a mess caused by Seiten Taisei, but he absolutely would not allow anyone else take responsibility when Goko felt he shouldered part of the blame.

 

_ “You think of trivial things,”  _ Hayai said, _ “when you should realise that one wrong move co-” _

 

Goko cut him off with a gunshot, the demon's boasting distracting him from dodging in time. Blood and muscle split from part of his ear, and he recoiled, roared in pain. Three bullets down.

  
  
  


Just as Goko prepped himself for the fourth shot, the sky stirred. The air stirred. Everything stirred, disturbed by something Goko couldn't put his finger on. Gathered like a storm, clouds darkened, and he felt electricity zap through the air, made his hair stand on end. The energy changed drastically. Unnatural, like a demon's, but stronger. Goko's throat clogged up, and he immediately started sweating.

 

_ It couldn't be... _

 

Goko took a deep breath, shaking his head. No, Seiten Taisei couldn't remove the regulator on his own, and Gokin had too expert a grasp on his combat to accidently break it.

 

He came back to Earth mere seconds before Hayai attacked.  At this proximity, no move he made could avoid impact, but as he braced himself, the sound of guns going off in every direction stopped the beast dead in his tracks.  Goko looked at his own revolver, sure he hadn’t pulled the trigger himself, and turned to meet several military men. Puzzled, he stared until, finally, he noticed the gold embellishments of the soldiers’ revolvers.

 

“A Western Unit?”

 

The soldiers saluted him, upright as their leader. “Dragon King Gojun issued an order for us to assist you against the demon, Dragon King Goko.”

That was just like him. No wonder he went MIA. The order was logical, certainly, but led to concerning revelation: even that many tranquillisers did nothing to subdue Hayai.

_ What the hell is he made of? _

He, without a doubt, was a normal demon, but his resilience seemed nothing sort of abnormal.

Hopefully, he hadn’t already wasted his bullet, but he couldn’t act rashly.

Glancing at the Western Unit, and back to the disturbed sky, he held his hand up. “I am not your commanding officer, do not risk getting Hayai’s attention more than you have.”

A soldier at the front faltered. “Sir, Dragon King Gojun ordered our assistance to you.”

“Your assistance is to not risk your necks. If he has a problem wth that, he can take it up with me.” He watched Hayai regain his bearings, and stepped away from the unit, making sure to keep the demon’s attention on him.  That, and the deon might not be their only problem.

“You have some real thick skin to keep standing.”

Slobbering, Hayai pulled his lips back in a snarl. His position changed to pounce, and Goko braced himself.

Heavy weight slammed hum down, the paw on his stomach making him up blood, breathing nearly impossible.  The only upside was that he kept his dominant hand freed from the demon’s grasp.  Hot breath huffed down on him, with the stench of meat coming deep from Hayai’s throat.  Bullet or tranquiliser, a shot from this proximity would kill  _ anything _ .

 

The clouds parted aways, and blue light stuck HAyai down, right in the spine.  The impact hardened his weight on Goko, but he beared it.  He recognised that light, and from it saw the silhouette of a sword and its master.  Goko sot the demon in the roof of his mouth, making his writhing shove him backwards and off Goko.  the blue light surrounded his body, which gradually moved less and less erratically.  He wasn’t dying.  He was being  _ sealed _ .

 

When the demon finally stilled, Goko stood, putting his revolver away.  He stared at the figure standing atop the demon’s back, and wiped blood from his mouth.  “You have the uncanny ability to appear at the last second for everything, Gojun.”

 

“And you the uncanny ability to get injured.”  Gojun sheathed his sword, sliding off Hayai’s back.  “Not to mention to act without a second thought to notifying others.  Had I not ordered my men to assist you, you’d be a dead man.”

 

The wound on Goko’s shoulder bled through Nishaa’s shawl, prompting him to hold it on reflex.  “If you followed protocol a little faster, I’d appreciate it.”

 

“It personally shocks me that fewer people are aware your judgement means much to be desired than appropriate.”  Gojun dropped the lecture at that, looking to the sky.  It churned still, but seemed to calm its energies if by a little bit.  “But it looks like there’s a bigger issue at hand.  Gokin hadn’t came to your aid?”

 

“I assumed you two were still dealing with Seiten Taisei, but…”  Goko shook his head, walking back to where Gokin should be.  “I don’t like the looks of this.  He isn’t dumb enough to do something to free Seiten Taisei, but I recognise this atmosphere.”  

 

It was the same as when Seiten Taisei intruded his palace.  A mixture of menacing and carefree, as if his existence had been the most natural thing to grace the world since the day he opened his eyes.  Seiten Taisei didn’t disregard life, but killing adversaries came second nature to him.  That’d been why the title of War God fit him absurdly well.  Gokin made no secret he acted against everything Seiten Taisei achieved.  An adversary since the day he entered Heaven.

 

“I fear we’re in trouble.”  A massive understatement, one the clouds stirred in agreement with.  Again the they rippled, and Goko sensed someone behind, whilst Gojun remained composed as ever.

Goko braced himself, gun ready to shoot, et the barrel of it did not meet golden eyes, but violet.

 

Kanzeon Bosatsu lifted her hands in a lazy attempt of mock defence, her carefree smile greeting the two Dragon Kings.  “Surprised?”

 

“What brings you here, Kanzeon?”  Gojun’s posture loosened up, if only a bit.

 

The Merciflul Goddess put a hand on her hip, the other holding something hidden behind her..  “Oh, just a little help.  You wouldn’t believe how long I’ve been watching this fiasco go on.”  Her hair blew in the troubled winds, which gradually died down, and her smile changed the light in her eyes to something akin to ‘serious’.  “This is what happens when our oldest Dragon King stays out of commission for a couple of days.  You four are  _ genuinely  _ hopeless.”

 

A thud came from behind her, and Seiten Taisei fell to the ground, all signs of his power gone and wrapped into a diadem on his head.

 

Kanzeon sighed, frowning at the sight of him.  “You have no idea how much trouble he gave me, if I hadn’t gotten the drop on him, even I might have been in trouble.”  She lightly kicked his diadem with her bare foot.  “It’d be best to restrain him ASAP.  Even if my Limiter’s on a different level than your little ‘regulators’, it comes with a hefty trade-off, he can remove that thing himself.”

  
Walking away from him, she admired Hayai’s sealed state, arms crossed.  “At least you got half the job done.  Now all’s to deal with is our favourite little War God.”


	11. Tidbits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my fave parts of the journey.

When Seitenn Taisei woke, he immediately felt the chains holding his arms up, and made out the cellar he'd been tossed in. He recognised what this meant, but he had no recollection of _anything_ past defeating Gokin. The fact he couldn't break free from the chains meant his powers had been subdued completely, which was just great. It did little to dampen his senses, and he made out a figure soon enough.

 

In spite of the situation, Seiten Taisei smiled. “You recover fast. Shouldn't you be in medical for that scratch?”

 

“Save it.” Heavy boots walk toward him and swing the cell door open. Keys fall next to Seiten Taisei's bare feet, the pefect shape for any typical chains, but they were kicked to the far end of the cell before he could so much as strain for them.

 

With one sleeve of his jacket tied in a knot, Gokin crouches in front of him, and pulls out a cigar. His right side twitches, and the light in his vibrant green eyes dulled. The moment shortlived, he snorted, bitterly smiling. He puts the unlit cigar to his lips, reaching into his right coat pocket for the lighter. He knelt slightly, one heavy boot slamming into Seiten Taisei's sternum without warning. Against his wishes, Seiten Taisei cried out, cursing his limited state. The end of the lighter was shoved in his mouth, with Gokin clamping it shut, the cigar, dark and twisted, skillfully weaved between his fingers.

 

“It's been a while since I've had a good smoke,” he said, his voice languid and nonchalant, “but this is a great day for one. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I can't really hold the cig and lighter at the same time, yanno?” He chuckled, a dangerous, thorny light in his eyes. “Yeah, you know.”

 

The lighter flickered on, its heat spreading over Seiten Taisei's mouth and the bottom of his nose, the flames stinking up his nostrils and crawling down his throat. Gokin lit the cigar, and pulled back, and took a few puffs, not acknowledging the defiant sage spitting out the lighter the first chance he got. It slid beyond the cell bars.

 

Seiten Taisei tugged at the restraints, the metal digging and cutting into his skin. “You just gonna stand there and smoke or what?”

 

“I'm takin' my time.”

 

“With what?”

 

“Demonstrating why _I'm...”_ He knelt back down, shoving the cigar a hair's breadth away from Seiten Taisei's eye, waving it around whilst Seiten Taisei followed its every movement, his eyes watering. He resisted every urge and instinct telling him to roll his head away. “...head of disciplinary action, especially against insurgent bastards like yourself.”

 

The tip of the cigar digs into the side of his neck, burning like a blowtorch. He tugged more at the restraints, skin raw, gritting and grinding his teeth and actually wishing he had the lighter to bite down on. Pride choked down pained howls, but he couldn't resist grunts and hisses at the feeling of fire twisting into his bones. It didn't stay local to his neck. It spread up his head and down his shoulder, and the Limiter did nothing to dim his sense of smell nor hearing. He smelled skin burning and welting. Heard it sizzling the tiniest bit and heard his skin pushed down the harder Gokin pressed the cigar down.

 

As abruptly as it started, it ended. Sweat dripped without his notice. Alarms unknown to him going off. Gokin gave no respite, roughly yanking his head up.

 

“I'm not the most popular 'round here, but I keep people in check. You can raise as much as hell as you want, but Heaven's full of petty bastards. If we don't want you to get away with something, we'll put you through every kingdom of hell you can imagine. And I don't need two arms to do the job.” He released him, only for his heavy boot to crash into Seiten Taisei's abdomen. Not once. Not even twice. Enough times to surpass bruising and make bile rise. The sage couldn't catch his breath. Breathing didn't exist. Just enduring. Each kick hit harder, lingered shorter. And then a kick thwacked across his head, the bones cracking audible in and out his ears.

 

When Gokin got bored of kicking, he slammed his boot into Seiten Taisei's forehead, shoving it against the cold wall.

 

“I'll make you _wish_ I could kill you.”

 

“Heh...”

 

Seiten Taisei lowered his head, his shoulders shaking up and down.

 

“That's too funny...”

 

Gokin backed up, his grip snapping the cigar in half. “You’re _laughing_?”

 _Of course_ he was. With a chuckle, Seiten Taisei lifted his head, yanking at the chains.

“So you’ll do whatever it takes to destroy my pride, huh?”. Sneering, he bursted out laughing. “ Go ahead and try! It’s _torture_ anticipating what you’ve got under your sleeve for me.”

His laughter died down soon after, and his wide smile turned to a sneer. “Let’s see how powerful you feel now that you’ve got a leash on me.”

The chamber door burst open, with one of Heaven’s lackeys making his entrance. “Dragon King Gokin, there’s call for a meeting, you’re to appear immediately!”

Gokin stomped his boot against the wall, right next to Seiten Taisei’s face. “Send them my regards, I’m not done here.”

“I figured you’d say that.”. Another set of footprints, firmer. More powerful. Gojin made his entrance, still limping noticeably. He crossed his arms, back against the wall. “ Gojun and Goko are already attending. I have business in the Lower World to tend to. How’s it going to look if the elder Dragon King of the South neglects to show?” He cast Seiten Taisei a cold glance. “There’s no point trying to prove any sort of point to him. We’ll discuss the rest on the way.”

‘The rest’ likely referred to his punishment.

Gokin and Seiten Taisei locked eyes, and Gokin looked ready to break his teeth with how hard he gritted them.

“Did I rip off your ability to make your own decisions along with your arm?”.

Gokin clenched his fist, but Gojun pulled him back.

“ You’re representing _both_ of us, don’t forget that.”

The two brothers, with their pale scales and black sclerae, stared wordlessly at another until, finally, Gokin relented. He stormed past Gojjn, who followed out so much a word to Seiten Taisei.  
  
Stuck alone, Seiten Taisei sighed. He had to assume they put a Limiter on him, otherwise he’d be out before they could blink.

He sat there, not long, till several armed guards released him, shoving and pulling him out.

Let’s see what they got.

 

In the chamber, every flow of time imagineable stopped.

 

Although he must've seemed a sorry sort, Seiten Taisei could not help but smile. Speares aimed at his body, forced down to a kneeling position before all of Heaven's bigshots, with one soldier pressing his foot down on his neck and a heavy padlock restraining his arms behind his back. Were it not for the Limiter repressing him to a 'human' state, these men would all beg their superiors not to cross paths with them. Now that they had the upper hand, they wanted to act like he couldn't feel their bodies trembling even now. Maybe they'd make good of Gokin's threat to torture him. What would it be? Fire? Electric shock? It seemed too optimistic to think Heaven a creative bunch.

 

No matter the punishment, no matter the inevitable torture, they couldn't do a damn thing to his life. The trauma to his body would send signals straight to his mind, and the strain would break off his Limiter. It'd be a price well worth paying to remind them who – what, they were dealing with. The Limiter was just a security blanket. The moment it formed aorund his head, he sensed the much.

 

Most of their talking went over his head, but he knew one thing: they were taking their damn time. He lifted his head as much as possible, locking eyes with Monju Bosatsu, whose seat at the centre of the spectacle.

 

“Can we get on with it?” His sneer grew, and he fidgeted about. “Being stuck like this tires your arms out.”

 

Monju narrowed his eyes, holding no scorn in them. “You've a clever mind...” His face seemed more of pity than anything. “But it is wasted on foolish action and speech.”

 

“Glamorous temples and holier-than-thou aristocrats don't inspire much intellectual stimulation.”

 

The doors opened, revealing Kanzeon and Seishi Bosatsu. Nonchalant as ever, Kanzeon yawned her way to her seat. She propped her chin in the palm of her hand, oozing of lethargy. At Seiten Taisei's condition, she covered her mouth, hiding her expression. Her focus moved to Seishi, who kept to the doorway, twisting strands of her hair with that close-eyed smile of hers.

 

Finally, Seishi opened her eyes and crossed her arms. “You certainly keep things interesting, Seiten Taisei.”

 

Kanzeon huffed. “Not to mention busy.” She leaned back, feet on the counter. “We keep having these meetings over this guy when we all know it ends the same. He almost gets an actual punishment until someone finds out a way to use him a bit further. Why keep calling all of us here? Just to waste maximum time?”

 

“Kannon's right, the lucky one is Gokin, honestly.” Seishi shrugged, slowly heading to her own seat. “With all due respect, even _I'm_ getting a bit bored of the back and forth."

 

Beside Monju, the lion growled until his owner stroke the length of its body. As youthful as ever, Monju spoke with the age of the Jade Emperor himself. “Ideally that means you won't disrupt our decision for once, Seishi Bosatsu.”

 

Still smiling, the Goddess of Wisdom chuckled, and her eyes rested on Seiten Taisei, just like the rest of the chamber.

 

“Well?” He rose his head, met all of their gazes. “What's it gonna be? Do you just intend on having me rot in a cell for the rest of Heaven's existence?”

 

Fugen sighed. “He's a proud one.”

 

“Indeed,” Monju replied, “but, that said, it's his strongest quality. Aspects like pride, or cleverness, flourish in fertile soil.”

 

“And he is not wrong for assuming he'll be imprisoned.”

 

So he was right. Lifelong imprisonment sounded boring as hell. But he still remembered Kanzeon's remark about his diadem: at the cost of completely suppressing his powers, his 'Limiter' wasn't _nearly_ as stable as the 'regulator'. If he got bored or fed up with imprisonment, at some point he'd snap and be at the top of his game. It could take days, or months, or decades even, but how skewed time was in Heaven didn't leave him the least bit concerned.

 

“Judging by his smile, he really doesn't fathom how much of a predicament he's in.”

 

 

With only that, Gojun lowered his head, his expression elusive as ever. Calling it 'cold' seemed too strong, but 'indifferent' did no justice either. All in all, he really _was_ an unpleasant guy. Goko as well avoided Seiten Taisei's gaze. Unlike Gojun, he was easy to read. Something akin to disapproval marred his otherwise calm face. As if he meant to say 'it's regrettable', but Seiten Taisei knew better than to assume it was because there was some cameraderie between them.

 

Next to him, Gokin _smiled_ , and Gojin's seat was empty.

 

Observing the three Dragon Kings, Seiten Taisei couldn't help but think something was off. It dwindled his nonchalance, and unease vibrated in his chest.

 

“If you're wonderin', Gojin got hit with a last minute assignment in the Lower World.” Gokin brandished Gojin's red-rimmed mirror, and tossed it to the floor. It slid close enough for Seiten Taisei to see his reflection in it. The foggy image, almost like looking past a waterfall, cleared up soon enough. Replacing his reflection was his village. In its centre, Gojin spoke, but Seiten Taisei couldn't hear a word of what he said.

 

His hair stood on end. “What the hell's this?”

Fugen answered, “We went to great lengths and exceptions to respect your connection to ‘your’ village.” Closing his wrinkles eyes, he avoided Seiten Taisei’s glare. “We deemed it necessary to act upon that given your recent arrest.”

No. Seiten Taisei disliked - _hated_ \- where this went. He struggled to his knees, but a guard struck his neck with the blunt end of his speare, knocking him down. A storm on his face, he glared up regardless. “What the hell is he doing there?!” All his spite channeled through air to the three Dragon Kings. _“Tell me!”_

Gojun didn’t give him the time of day, nor Goko.

  
  


Leaning back, Gokin yawned. The bastard, acting like hot shit when he could hardly light a cig on his own. “Stop your yappin’. Right about now your pals down there are gettin’ told their favourite Heretic can no longer watch over 'em. Since your in our custody, you should be thankful Gojin bothered to give 'em the heads up.”

  
  


Seiten Taisei swallowed hard, pulling his wrists against their restraints. “Why bother?”

 

Gokin tapped the side of his head. “Add two and two together, piss-for-brains.” Whenever someone said that, they intended on boasting about the 'obvious', but Gokin, the absolute bastard, just sat there, smug at Seiten Taisei's situation.

 

“Seiten Taisei.” Finally speaking, Goko closed his eyes. If the War God didn't know better, he'd assume Goko's furrowed brows and frown meant he didn't approve of how Heaven 'handled' this. Even now, he avoided Seiten Taisei's glare. Or, maybe he had something unrelated on his mind. “What do you think would happen if an infamous being such as yourself could no longer interact with his territory?”

 

The War God narrowed his golden eyes. _“What?”_

 

“Even if we mentioned nothing of your arrest to them,” Goko continued, “demons, bandits, and anyone else that might have avoided them before can and will target them now. I won't say that alerting them of your arrest was out of consideration for them – human villages are ransacked day by day – but I will say it'll be the best way for them to prepare.”

 

Ha... I can't hear what he's saying...

 

He struggled against the guards, succeeding in summoning nyoi-bo to fend them off. He didn't know what he said to them, what he yelled and screamed. What _fucking right_ did they have to suggest his village could be lumped up with any other. They couldn't just banish him from Heaven? All the shit he did and taking someone's arm off and not killing off a demon after humans took its place was all it took to imprison him? They thought _they_ _could_ _imprison_ _him_?

 

He already knocked out most of the guards, if he could just break off the restraints, he felt ready to take on all of these idiots. The only two remotely unnerved by his anger, curiously, were the sisters. Seishi wasn't smiling, and Kanzeon tensed.

 

Tapping her nails, the latter spoke up: “Hey, War God.”

 

“What the hell is it?”

 

Seishi glanced at Kanzeon as well, a ghost of a smile returning to her expression. She muttered something to the younger goddess, to which Kanzeon rigidly nodded. Seishi's trademark smile appeared, combined with a laugh.

 

“Most of it's your idea, so you say it,” Kanzeon said.  
  


“Oh but you're so much more eloquent than I am, Kannon.”

 

“Don't call me that.” Despite the protest, Kanzeon sighed, staring Seiten Taisei down with great disinterest. Or at least, he had to dismiss it as such. The Merciful Goddess always did escape his field of understanding.

 

What he did know, without a doubt. Was that. They were _agreeing_ on something. For all the time Seiten Taisei spent in Heaven, he never saw the sisters exchange glances, much less words of agreement, with one another. If they did, they weren't kind words. Never malicious, but devoid of sisterly bonds nonetheless. The Goddess of Wisdom and Merciful Goddess hardly had anything to do with each other, and them suddenly teaming up in the face of Seiten Taisei's punishment just reaked of bullshit.

 

“How your punishment's handled isn't any of my business,” Kanzeon admitted, “and I don't disagree that your village is probably doomed one way or another. But I don't find the point in not giving you a fighting chance.”

 

Gokin gawked at her, whilst the remaining brothers slumped just barely. By now, Seishi exasperated the others with her plans and ideas. Seeing Kanzeon apparently join in did nothing to boost morale.

 

“Hey, Kanzeon-”

 

The Goddess cut Gokin off. “Gokin, you're the disciplinary officer, right?”

 

“Damn straight. That's why I don't like you trying to barge in on my territory.”

 

“What's Seiten Taisei's punishment, exactly?”

 

Gokin scoffed. “Ain't it obvious? He gets to be restrained and keep the Limiter on to rot away in prison for as long as it takes before he kicks it.”

 

“You don't say.” Kanzeon picked at her ear. “Well, since you said it now, you can clam up. You gave his sentence. What I'm talking about isn't related to his punishment, strictly speaking.”

 

“Hell're you on about.”

 

“I'm saying you can stop talking and that your place in this conference is pretty much done. Dare I say you can leave and get some proper treatment for that stump of yours.” She yawned unceremoniously. “Now stop interrupting me, I want this done before I pass out. These meetings about this guy never change.”

 

With Gokin completel shut down, the air went cold. As if beamin at her younger sibling, Seishi smiled and nodded in total agreement. “She lacks the subtle touch, but Kannon's right. Gokin.” With her kiseru lit, she inhaled and exhaled strong-smelling smoke. “It's in our best interest to not attach ourselves to one single idea, hear what we have to say as an... alternate solution. Out of fairness for the defendant.”

 

To make both stop talking, Kanzeon snapped her fingers and pointed down at Seiten Taisei. “You don't wanna get locked up, yeah?”

 

Seiten Taisei spat on the ground. “That's a stupid fucking question.”

 

“Right.” Kanzeon leaned back. She whipped out a stack of papers, all with a distinct stamp on them. They gleamed silver in the light, and Goko tensed at their rustling. “And there's a reason you haven't said anything, Goko.”

 

The Dragon King, paler than ever, nodded, rubbing at a tear in his eye patch. “Kanzeon Bosatsu, that report was meant to be confidential, but... what about them?”

 

“It says here there's talk of you haivng to take your group to a certain town, y'know.” Kanzeon looked serious, for once. “And with all this talk of villages getting wiped out, it's pretty relevant.”

 

“I'm aware.” Finally, he glanced at a still-clueless Seiten Taisei. “But how is it relevant to his punishment?”

 

Part of Seiten Taisei saw where this went. An idea to stave off his imprisonment in favour of having him do Heaven's dirty work _again_. And for Goko's benefit, of all people. Part of him, completely out of spite, wanted to leave Heaven's problem as their own. Yet another part knew all too well he'd rather extend his freedom as much as possible.

 

“The Eastern Army...” Seishi, likely impatient with everyone's beating around the bush, spoke. “As part of taking responsibility for their leader bein the one who allowed Seiten Taisei's entrance into Heaven, is expected to take down the demon in Chaand.” Bearing the news, she giggled. “God only knows why anyone expects them to handle it when the eldest Dragon King barely made it out alive himself. Heaven is just being vindictive against you, right Goko?”

 

Goko recoiled at her honey-sweet tone “I never claimed that.”

 

“But it's the truth. “Past trangressions aside, it's no secret everyone's been speaking of your involvement in Seiten Taisei's entrance since the first day. This was just the perfect excuse. You can't really be expecting to nod and brace having that 'demon' slaughter your men, can you?”

 

“...”

 

“Precisely.” Seishi dismissed her kiseru. “Yet, we can't let a 'demon' that wreaks havoc from within a cave go unchecked.” Slowly, her cold violet eyes returned to Seiten Taisei. “ _Someone_ has to take care of it _sometime soon,_ considering the truth behind it _._ ”

 

Monju and Fugen, silent the whole time, exchanged uncertain, uneasy looks. It felt as if Seishi took control of the whole room, silencing her so-called peers.

 

Seiten Taisei let his body relax. “What truth? What's with this 'demon of Chaand'?”

 

Before either sister could speak, Goko held his hand up. “The 'demon of Chaand' is the same that injured Gojin not long ago during a routine 'meeting'. In the past, it agreed not to cause anything. Around this time, I just recovered from my first 'encounter' with you.”

 

“Some spectacular timing, no?” Seishi laughed.

 

Goko shook his head, ignoring her. “Recently, it began terrorising Chaand, especially after injuring Gojin. I don't know the details. There's reports of everything from hallucinations to being lured into the demon's cave, but no one's ever seen it.”

 

“The backstory doesn't matter,” Seishi dismissed, “Seiten Taisei, getting straight to the point. I swear to you won't have to endure seeing your village fall to ruin if you succeed in sealing – not killing – one of your own in the Eastern Army's place.” She tilted her head. “It's a bargain you can't refuse.”

 

Without listening to his input, she just kept speaking. She expected Seiten Taisei to wait, restraine as he was now, until Gojin returned to Heaven. He'd be the one to escort Seiten Taisei as far as he could manage, till one of the Lower World's own would take charge of him. He couldn't kill the demon, only seal it. As a War God, he 'naturally had the ability to do either'.

 

“Wait. What do you mean by 'own kind'?”

 

She paid no mind. “Chaand's a generally old school place, so you might have some trouble there on your own. It's only natural someone else tag alon with you.”

 

“Who's this 'someone else' after Gojin supposed to be?”

 

“And you'll surely have the time of your life dealing with their panic.”

 

“Hey!”

 

“Defeat the 'demon' of Chaand, and you won't have to worry about being impriso-”

 

Nyoi-bo impaled the wall above her, stones falling behind her, but not once onto her. “Answer me!”

 

Seishi's smile fell, just a little bit. “Find out for yourself if you're so curious.”

 


	12. Leftover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *dumps 14 pages on you* happy holidays

 

_From deep within hearts_

_Chips slowly their obeisance_

_They fall to oblivion_

_With stammers and shakes of life_

_All returns to the vast null_

 

Only minutes after the ‘meeting’ ended, Seiten Taisei sat and stared at the Dimensional Gate without a breath or glance to spare anyone else.  The restraints on his wrists ached, with Heaven’s ‘air’ - if one could call it that - more oppressive than ever.  The ‘regulator’ did little more than repress his powers, but the Limiter _disconnected him from everything about himself._ He hated it.  Cursed it with every fibre of his body.  Wanted to tear it off and show every damn God’s head the same fucking treatment.  The restraints constricted blood flow, but he still felt his blood, white-hot and boiling, from his fingertips to his stomach, churning.

 

 _Dammit.  Dammit._ **_Dammit!_ **

 

He ground his teeth so hard they could break, and his eyes, gold as they were, glistened like an angry summer, threatening to melt the doors down to their very last component.  When the hell did Gojin plan on returning.  And when the hell did he plan on doing things?  All the time Seiten Taisei spent in Heaven, he’d been one of the few Gods to genuinely leave him be.  Oh, so not one, but two of his brothers needed to lose some body parts before the eldest of them would act?  

 

“Figures,” he spat, “hurry your scaly ass hell up!”  His voice echoed in an empty room.  “You have the damn nerve to intrude in _my_ village and _then_ take your goddamned time returning?!”

 

The echoes hit and reverbed from the Dimensional Gate, which kept still, with no sign of Gojin walking through.  He’d lose his voice at this rate.  He’d shout his voice raw for the bastard with his creepy smokey grey scales and weird-ass purple eyes.  They weren’t the violet like the gods all had.  They were different sort of colour.  Darker, colder, ashy.  All the Dragon Kings looked creepy, but Gojin, as reserved as he was, was the worst, with Gojun a close second.

 

 _The bastard and I have the same eye colour, I don’t see_ him _getting any flack for existing._  Maybe it was because he suckled on their rules and regulations like a newborn baby.

 

The second he thought of a baby, he remembered Seishi’s abysmal maternal instincts.  And then the rest of those holier-than-thou Bodhisattva came to mind.  He hated the look in their eyes.  Uncertainty, disinterest, distrust.  All muddled and mixed up emotions from the lot of ‘em.  All the same eyes and faces that decided to mess with _his_ village just to get back at him.  No fucking wonder none in the village gave weight to any monk’s wild-ass rambling.

 

The more he thought about all of them, the more irritated he got.  At first he just wanted to see what ‘Heaven’ was like.  Idle curiosity.  How he got swept up in doing their bidding he didn’t know.  He fought back asking ‘what went wrong’, yet the question insisted on intruding on him.  When he couldn’t take it anymore.  When everything spilled out his throat, he didn’t notice.  Even his own yelling sounded like white noise that naturally belonged in the room.

 

When he finally stopped, he at least felt ‘cleansed’.  Lighter than before.  The yell emptied him out in a way he didn’t understand.  Although there were no windows to look out, his body told him it should be night in Heaven by now.  Sometimes that matched the Lower World, sometimes it didn’t.  His anger hadn’t faded away, but after the yelling, it became easier to contain.  Now, he just sat there, alone, bouncing his leg up and down.

 

Finally, Seiten Taisei watched gold light pour out the Dimensional Gate.  sitting in the dark for so long, he squinted his eyes, but they opened soon enough to see Gojin standing in front of it.

 

No time to lose.  Seiten Taisei shot up, brushing past Gojin.  “Hurry the hell up.  And get these damn shackles off me.”

 

Gojin drew his weapon, an ornate gaive, and it pierced and shattered the restraints without trouble.  “I’m aware of the plan already, I know what you expe--”

 

Seiten Taisei whipped around.  “You don’t need to talk in order to take me to whoever leads me to this demon of Chaand or whatever.”  He ignored Gojin already knowing the plan.  That just meant Seishi was so sure of herself that she told Gojin of it ahead of time.  Nothing new.

 

Stoic as ever, Gojin didn’t respond, instead only following Seiten Taisei back out the Dimensional Gate.  In front of the War God crept modest vegetation, no different from most places in Aolai, with the warm scent of food off in the distance.  Seiten Taisei’s keen eyes made out lanterns of a village entrance, glowing orange within the dimming daylight.  Other than that, he saw nothing of interest.  The only thing that stood out was the growing red mark seeping through Gojin’s clothes.

 

Unable to stifle a laugh, Seiten Taisei rolled his neck around, stretching it out.  “What?  All i did was bump into you.  Is this demon that strong that your wound can still open with the slightest bump?”

 

His face betraying no emotion, Gojin answered, “You’d complain if the ‘demon’ was weak, wouldn’t you?”

 

“That’s right.”  Seiten Taisei nodded.  “He better be strong, otherwise you bastards are wasting my precious time.”

 

“Then here’s hoping you get what’s coming to you.”

 

Surprisingly spiteful when he actually talks, huh?  “What?  You hope he takes out an eye or an arm or something?”

 

“Given how much you enjoy talking, I’d much prefer to see him go for your gullet.”  Gojin spoke emotionlessly, like some stone statue.  He had the scales to match the colour, anyway.  “Regrettably, I’m only taking you as far as Chaand’s entrance.  From then on, it’s up to you whether or not to enter it before your escort shows.”

 

“Why wouldn’t I just enter myself and wait for him there?  It’s been awhile since I had some good food and drink, y’know.”

 

“Do what you want.  Even if I’m not present, I’ll have the satisfaction knowing it’ll only inconvenience you.”

 

Curt as Gojin was, the back and forth taunting did a great job of shortening the walk to Chaand’s entrance.  It was humble, with simple lanterns already lit up to prepare for the oncoming night.  The paths, for the most part, remained unpopulated, save for a few opened inns and bars Seiten Taisei could hear.  Seemed a little early for people to head inside, but to each their own.  

 

As soon as Seiten Taisei’s foot crossed past the lanterns, Gojin turned the other way.  “We part ways here.”  

 

“Some use you are.”

 

He didn’t stop walking away, intent on leaving Seiten Taisei behind.  “Just leaving that thing to you is enough to fulfill my role between Heaven and the Lower World.”  He paused, sighing.  “Regardless.. May you have more luck than I did.  Your escort will be here shortly, I’d wager.  I don’t know if he intends on assisting, powerful as he is.”

 

“How powerful’s powerful?”

 

“We’re talking about the man that sealed Tsuyoi and Hayai.  And for his sake, I hope things fare well against Chaand’s ‘demon’.”

 

With that, he was gone, leaving Seiten Taisei alone at Chaand’s entrance.  He clicked his tongue, dissatisfied with the vague remarks.  Being from the Lower World, this person, more than likely human, couldn’t be that powerful.  Not compared to a demon capable of doing a solid number on one of the Dragon Kings.  

 

_If he’s a dick, I can just use him as a distraction or shield._

 

Caught up in his thoughts, he yawned and stretched, paying no mind to a man swaying about past him.  They bumped into one another, yet instead of apologising, Seiten Taisei caught him by the arm, twisting it just barely.  With humans, he required as much attention to pressure as possible.  He just wanted to elicit some pain, not tear it off.

 

“Care to explain what that was about?”

 

“Huh?”  The man, free of the scent of alcohol, shook his grip off.  “What’s your deal, pal?”

 

“My deal is some idiot playing drunk to try and steal from me.”  He tapped the mirror.  “This is the only valuable thing I’ve got, I don’t have any money good to humans.”  At the core of it, he didn’t care about some guy trying to steal from others.  That shit happened all the time, and it especially didn’t matter if it wasn’t in his own village.  But this joker actually thought he could trick anyone?  Let alone the Great Sage?

 

The man, against any sound judgement, yanked down on the diadem.  “What about this here  If you’re gonna accuse me of stealing, then at least be honest about what you got yourself.”

 

Instead of anger, genuine eagerness filled Seiten Taisei’s head.  He bumped his forehead against the man’s, shooting him a smile.  “If you want this damn thing, take it.”  He could do without the godforsaken Limiter any day.  “Go ahead.  I won’t it against you.”

 

Insulted, the man scowled, daggers right into Seiten Taisei’s eyes.  “You sure talk a lotta shit for a… gh!”  He froze, shrunk back.  The fury left his face, contorted with terror.  He tried to back away, but his knees failed him, making him fall to the ground flat on his ass.  “...s… y-you-re....”

 

“Huh?”  Seiten Taisei, clueless to his panic, couldn’t even make out what he said.  “What’re you on about?”

 

“Eyes....”  Eyes?  “Your eyes’re-”  His mouth gaped wide open with a gasp.  Whole body shaking.  Skin pale as the surface of the moon.  The second he got his bearings, he scrambled up, any angry words he had morphed into panicked yelling.  The man that walked playing drunk to steal from his peers suddenly took it upon himself to warn them of the golden-eyed Heretic walking around their dirt in plain daylight.

 

At first, it took a few seconds for the fear to settle in.  In his village, Seiten Taisei had been fortunate enough to not be surrounded by people as mossback as the monks or Heaven.  Seeing humans scared of him.  Not even Gods.   _This_ was the norm towards him.  It.  Was almost funny.

 

No.  It was fucking hilarious.  He just couldn’t sympathise with all this fuss over his eye colour.  He laughed harder than he yelled at the Gate.  He must’ve seemed like he totally lost it, and he felt like he would too.

 

“Ha… Poor bastards… haha… how do they even leave their houses?”  He heard doors and windows slam shut as soon as word got out.  No one risked trying to see if the guy told the truth.  Just went along with it.

 

Right, even with the Limiter on… he could sense he was on a whole other level from humans and demons.  He had no doubt they could sense that as well.  It wasn’t worth telling them he had no interest in decimating them.  Rampaging through humans’ villages and towns was something for run-of-the-mill demons to do.  Not Heretics.  Especially not Earth’s very own child.  Hell, he was here for their benefit, as far as they would know.  They had _his_ heritage to thank in the first place.

 

So.  Fucking funny.  He was dying to know how they’d react if he didn’t have the Limiter.

 

Over his laughter, he heard a horse’s whinny.  He turned to the noise, spotting possibly the only other person still out in the open. He tended to a horse tied to a restaurant’s support beam, easing its anxiety of the ruckus and finally untying its reins.  Stroking the horse’s face, he faced Seiten Taisei.

 

He was a flashy, tall guy, with dark skin and the eyes to match, and titian hair that melded into the colours of an oncoming sunset.  He pulled his long hair into a loose ponytail, leaving his forehead completely bare, save for a red chakra smack dab in the middle of it.  The way he held himself up, it seemed like he shouldn’t make noise at all, but the beads wrapped around his shoulders and waist, red with strong contrast against white robes, jangled with each movement he made.

 

His eyes, as clear as sard, are calm and stern.  “I take it you’re Seiten Taisei?”  

 

Nodding, Seiten Taisei wiped the smile off his face.  “‘Escort’?”  A human.  Just as expected.  But a flashy one for sure.

 

The man nodded.  Stroking his horse’s mane, he re-tied it to the post.  “If you’re in a rush, I understand, but I didn’t get here much sooner than you.  I’d like to eat something before taking you to the cave.”

 

Seiten Taisei linked his hands behind his head.  “Y’know everyone’s terrified of me, right?”

 

Straightening out his pristine robes, the man shrugged.  “They’ll make an exception if you’re acquainted with me.”  He walked right back in the restaurant, speaking to its owner as calmly as he did his horse.  

 

He gestured to Seiten Taisei, who walked his way up without a noise except to sniff the smell of food inside.  Ah… it really has been awhile since he had some proper, meaty dishes.  The restaurant owner gulped, leaning towards the white-robed man in an effort to avoid Seiten Taisei’s ears.

 

“Priest Sanzo, letting a Heretic in Chaand such as him in is dangerous.  Especially now.”

 

 _Sanzo?_  One of those uppity monks people constantly spread their legs and wallets for?  This guy?  He didn’t look the part, and didn’t most normal monks and priests shave their heads?

 

‘Sanzo’ nodded at the owner’s worries.  “Normally, I’d agree,” he admitted, “but this one in particular is with me.”  He pointed at Seiten Taisei.  “And the Limiter he wears is an effort to be as little threat to you all as possible.  I assure you, he means no harm.  We are both here for the same task.”

 

Seiten Taisei knew for a fact priests didn’t lie, and that was a huge fucking lie.

 

Nonetheless, the owner lowered their guard, not as pale as before under Seiten Taisei’s stare.  They nodded their regards to him, moving out of the way.

 

“I also take it that our completing this task will be more than enough payment.”

 

“Of… of course.”

 

Weren’t priests supposed to beg and shit for stuff?  A priest just scammed some person out of dishing out a bill.  Promising start to the evening.  Although, if he’s a priest…

 

“Some tea on rice is more than enough, thank you.  If possible I’d like a few extra vegetables as well.  Whether or not they’re rooted doesn’t matter.”

 

Yeah.  There it is.  Seiten Taisei can feel his taste buds fall asleep to the dish already.  

 

“As for a drink, anything will do.”

 

The owner nodded, sweating a little.  “Um… I’d recommend our most popular drink, but…”

 

“Water if fine if you have nothing vegetarian available.”

 

“No!  It’s fine that way but… it is a bit alcoholic.”

 

“That is fine.”

 

Huh.  He sure wasn’t picky.  

 

“I am merely a vegetarian, that’s as strict as I get.  Getting more specific over which vegetables are rooted or not is just a waste of time.  As for alcohol…” He took a sip from the cup, carefully placing it back down, a faint smile on his face.  “A little here and there never hurt anyone.”  

 

What the hell…

 

The man caught the owner before they left to prepare the order.  “For my companion, some water and a mix of meat and fruit should suffice.  I have a feeling he can’t survive on vegetables.”

 

He could survive eating anything, thank you very much.  He just didn’t care for something as bland as the greens of any food chain.  Of course, he wouldn’t complain about the priest’s generosity, choosing instead to keep his mouth shut in favour of a free meal.  

 

Whilst waiting, he shut his eyes, the leftover hum of the restaurant further filled his ears.  The creaking of the ceiling fan, the sizzling of meat in the kitchen, liquids poured into ceramic cups.  Chaand, by no means, was similar to Seiten Taisei’s village.  But the noises and scents of it were nonetheless familiar.

 

Still, the atmosphere and feel of the air was different.  In his village, the air stirred with villagers’ energy and lives.  It was a strange sensation to describe.  The best way he could put it was that emotions of the day wrapped around and fed each other excitement.  The air during a festival was inherently different from that of a single birthday, and that different from a day to day basis.  He couldn’t pick up on that sort of sensation in Chaand, yet his mind scrapped the air for anything similar to it.  Failure to do so gave way to feelings not unlike frustration, but without the blistering uneasiness that came with it.  Nor was it blissful nostalgia.

 

Yearning.  That was it.  He wanted done with this ‘mission’ and back to his village as soon as possible.  Even now he could hear familiar voices saying his name.

 

“..sei..”

 

Very clear in his head.

 

“...Taisei...”

 

No, this voice was much more detached and solid.

 

“Seiten Taisei, your meal.”

 

His eyes snapped open, blinking at the priest and down to the dish and cup in front of him.  Simple fruits and cuts of meat with water.  He hadn't smelled, much less heard, the owner serve the meal.  

 

“Does something trouble you?”  The words he chose were flat, but not unnatural for the impression the priest left.

 

Glancing out a window, Seiten Taisei shook his head.  “Nah.”  He leaned back with a stretch.  “Not as hungry as I thought.”

 

“I believe I haven’t properly introduced myself.”

 

“Huh?”  Where’d that come from…

 

The priest, already done with his meal and drink, slid both to the side.  “Antei Sanzo.  That is my name.”

 

“Don’t priests have mundane names?”

 

“Mine is not important.”

 

Fair enough.  Leaning far enough to balance on two chair legs, Seiten Taisei yawned once more.  “Well, Antei, what do you plan on doing against a demon so fearsome that Dragon Kings don’t wanna take ‘im on?”

 

Unfettered by the informalities, Antei shrugged.  “Apart from escorting you, I already assured Chaand I’d assist in Yokubo’s sealing.”

 

“‘Yokubo’?”

 

“After gathering intel on how this demon works, that’s the name I decided to refer to the demon by.”  He looked around the empty restaurant, brown eyes focused on nothing notable.  “You’re already aware most villages and towns like this one tend to have some religious building around, right?”

 

Seiten Taisei nodded.  The better off a place was, the likelier it became they’d have something erected for monks and the like.  His village just ended up the abnormality.  Living so close to where Seiten Taisei was born, they might’ve been destined to be the black sheep in the herd.  Yet a place crying about his eyes like this one had nothing.  He snorted.  Figured.

 

“It’s nothing to snort at,” Antei scolded, “understand this: Heaven and Earth flow in different rivers of time.  What was only a year or so to you might as well be decades to us.  For all we know, I wasn’t even born when you entered Heaven.  For Chaand, they have been terrorised, gradually, by Yokubo.”

 

“Wasn’t he amicable to humans at first or something?”

 

“Yes.  But after the incident involving the North Dragon King, things became exacerbated.  Years here have gone by since then, and this huddle of humans under the thumb of a creature unable to so much as leave his cave.  How do you gather it’s devastated them?”

 

Seitei Taisei shrugged.  “Beats me.”

 

“Breaking down morale.  Luring monks and priests and any other good person down that cave.  I never heard of a single case of Yokubo killing people from Chaand.  They return completely different people.  Ghosts of themselves.  I will not say your average monk or priest is strong-minded, but they are disciplined, and for them to lose themselves and return to resign from their positions in singular moments… Men, women, elder, or child, Yokubo’s toyed with the lot of them.  Just being taunted like that is nothing short of terrifying for humans, and for Heaven, I’d assume they expect the worst of such a change.”

 

“So then, exposition device…”  Seiten Taisei crossed his arms.  “What makes you think you’re exception to the rule?”

 

Antei cracked a wry smile and stood up.  “Nothing in particular.  I just like my chances.”  He bowed to the owner, and gestured to Seiten Taisei from near the doorway.  “Let’s get going.”

 

Seiten Taisei obliged, and stood outside waiting for Antei to mount his horse.  How far a distance he travelled to get here the sage didn’t know, but he didn’t look weary, so that was a plus.  He wasn’t strong-looking either, so Seiten Taisei really banked on him turning tail and running once Yokubo showed up.  He didn’t need to balance a fight with protecting someone.

 

Sunset began to die out, and their trek began.  Much of it went silent, the cave a good way’s away, but somehow still considered Chaand’s own cave.  Yet, as night came, Antei suddenly broke the silence.

 

“You are a strange one, Seiten Taisei.”

 

What a great way to start a conversation.  Messing with the horse’s reins, Seiten Taisei quirked up a brow and looked back at the priest.  “‘Scuse me?”

 

Antei paid him no mind.  “What I mean is that you are much less antagonising than I prepared myself for.”

 

Laughter.  “Bet those Three Aspects spinned a real horror story of me.”

 

“‘Ill-tempered, violent, impatient, hardly capable of containing the itch to spill blood, with only just enough cooperative skills to get a task done and over with before going off on his own’, to be exact.”

 

“Heaven’s a subjective bunch, y’know.”

 

Antei nodded.  “I’d imagine.”

 

“Everything from a pissy dragon to a goddess who hasn’t even named her own child.  The air was damn thin too.”

 

“Perhaps you were merely imbalanced in Heaven’s air.”

 

“Huh?”

 

The priest pointed at Seiten Taisei, then at the ground.  “You are the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, born from Kakayama, with the mountain peak closest to Heaven.  Earth’s aura gathered and collected, giving the Earth a will - essentially you.  Yet, even if you are the Earth’s child, Heaven’s power inevitably leaked and gathered as well.  You are of Earth and Heaven.”  Pointing upward, he nodded to himself, as he often did.  “Not human, not demon, and just vaguely god-like.”

 

“Get on with it, Antei.”  He really liked to hear himself talk.

 

Antei rose his hand, silencing Seiten Taisei. “Let me clarify:as the ‘great sage equal to Heaven’ and ‘Earth’s child’, the duality of your existence is one I don't necessarily understand, but for someone like you, 'duality' fits better than my traditional teachings. And in your duality, there is none.”

 

 _God._  “...what?”

 

“You knew balance on Earth, but you robbed yourself of that in Heaven.  Heavenly powers and earthen instincts have a better chance of flourishing on Earth’s chaotic land than they do the languid clouds of Heaven.”

 

Seiten Taisei gawked at Antei, all of his words completely over his head.  He couldn’t just say he was more at peace on Earth?  What’s all the balance talk?  And the way he mentioned the gods and Heaven…

 

“Antei, you’re not the most faithful of priests, aren’t ya?”

 

“I'd have to paint masterpieces in mud before considering myself faithful.”

 

Hm.  “So a Sanzo without much faith.  Guess that explains the whole missin’ scripture thing.”

 

“My scripture isn’t missing.”  Antei lowered part of his robe, revealing part of the scripture beneath.  “It’s still over my shoulders, I ust don’t brandish it carelessly.”

 

“Why?”

 

“It’s a powerful scripture.  It protects me as much as I protect it.  Showing it off around is akin to wearing an unsheathed sword around my hip.”

 

“So… it can do things?” Seiten Taisei tilted his head.  “What sorta things?”

 

Instead of answering, Antei hummed to himself.  “It certainly does things, doesn’t it.”

 

Although his refusal to answer things clearly frustrated Seiten Taisei, they also managed to amuse him.  Just the shear lengths he went to beat around the bush had been practised down to an art.  

 

Between laughter, it became somewhat of a game. Seiten Taisei asked a question, and Antei gave an answer in his vague strange way, to which Seiten Taisei attempted to guess the meaning behind his statement. Sometimes they were easy enough to decipher, other times, he couldn't make heads or tails of what Antei meant.

 

Evening long since turned into night, with cool air and stars mingling with the crescent moon.  Seiten Taisei lost his questioning steam, and the duo took a break for water and to feed the horse.  Resting against the horse’s flank, he took a swig from the canteen.

 

“It’s pretty much warm,” he said, “but better than any you could drink in Heaven.”

 

Drinking from his own canteen, Antei sat against a tree.  “Sweet or not, it’s water from home, isn’t it?”

 

Seiten Taisei could spare no response.  He felt something tug at his clothes.  “Aw, dammit!”  

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Trying to tug the back of his clothing from the horse’s mouth, Seiten Taisei scowled.  “Your stupid horse started to eat my clothes!  What’s the deal?  I just fed you!”  Finally, he yanked it away, but it was wet and cold.  “Aw… goddammit!  This is gross!”

 

“I’ve heard you’ve been covered in blood completely unfazed, but a horse’s saliva bothers you?”

 

_“Yes!”_

According to Antei, the hose only ever chewed on things other than its food when it got anxious.  What it was anxious over, Seiten Taisei didn’t know.  It couldn’t be him.  He was good with animals in general, and having dealt with horses for awhile in Heaven meant he especially knew how to handle the things.

 

They decided to keep moving, but the horse only got more and more reluctant, and even Seiten Taisei’s urgings became less effective.  Soon, the horse came to a full stop, digging it hooves into the dirt.

 

“What the hell’s your deal?”

 

The horse whinnied, attempting to buck Antei off, but Seiten Taisei’s grip on the rein’s kept it from rearing up.  Instead the horse’s eyes, wide and alert, shook up at the sky.  Not expecting to see anything worth noting, Seiten Taisei followed the horse’s stare, and his own eyes widened.

 

The last time he looked up, he knew the moon was in its crescent shape.  But now, its light filled the night sky, full and round.

 

_How the hell is it full?_

 

Dismounting the horse to soothe it, Antei sighed.  “We must be close to the cave Yokubo resides in.  I’d wager that’s the demon’s doing.”

 

“A demon powerful enough to affect the moon’s phase in its area?”

 

“The amount of things you can do wherever you are, and this strikes you as odd?”

 

“Point made.”

 

His eyes glued to the moon, his frown deepened.  He didn’t like what he felt from the moon itself.  Unnatural, otherwordly.  

 

A twig snapped, and the sound, easy to pinpoint, revealed a ragtag looking group coming upon him from behind.   He could tell from their gaunt smirks and rancid scents.  Bandits. Yet, when he prepared himself to at least knock them out, Antei clapped a hand on his shoulder, lowering his stance.

 

“What do you lot want?”

 

_They’re obviously bandits, they want money._

 

The tallest f the group, more or less the leader no doubt, stepped forward.  “We heard a Sanzo Priest was waltzing his way through Chaand and down to Little Moon Cave.  That’s you, yeah?”

 

“Clearly.”

 

The curt answer wiped the smirk off the bandit’s face.  “Yer pretty calm for some holier-than-thou surrounded by bandits.”

 

His goons howled in agreement, some bragging about their little group being known for their stealings and attacks.  Boasting about stupid shit from robbery to assault.  The types of humans that didn’t know they could go down at any second.  Seiten Taisei hated that.  Again, he intended to take them out, but paused, seeing Antei slide the upper half of his robes off, revealing the tight black clothing and gloves beneath.  The scripture dangled over his shoulders, not the least bit crumbled after being hidden beneath the robes.

 

“I take it that crime is all you have to be proud of?”

 

“Huh?”

 

He flattened the scripture.  “Personally, I dislike using this on living creatures, but as I’m in a rush, I can’t help but dismiss your kind as little more than pests buzzing in my ear.”

 

The scroll grew in length, and went flying around the man.  Soon, the paper became a flurry that engulfed the bandit, blocking everyone’s view of him.  As abruptly as they appeared, the papers returned to their owner’s shoulders, and the man gone without a trace.

 

_What… the hell?_

 

The bandits, just as stumped as Seiten Taisei, either dropped their weapons or to their knees.

 

“Where’d he go?!”

 

“What’d that priest freak do?!”

 

Brushing the scripture off, Antei sighed through his nose.  “That was your warning.  I suggest leaving before you find out what happened to him by experiencing it yourself.”

 

The bandits wasted no time, scrambling away.  Yet, just as they might have escaped, Antei muttered chants to himself, and with another rustle of the scripture, the smell of blood suddenly filled the air.  The bandits, unlike their leader, hadn’t disappeared, but horrified yelling over lost hands or feet, without any on the ground to mourn over, gave Seiten Taisei an idea of what happened.

 

Ignoring them, Antei straightened out his robes, and 180’d straight to the horse.  He assured it that he didn’t need to force it to go any further.  Maybe it was just the bond between them, but the horse somehow understood to return back to Chaand’s main village.  But Seiten Taisei didn’t take the time to admire the obedience.  The second Antei turned to face him, he summoned nyoi-bo, hair standing on end.  He extended the staff high in the air, as far away from Antei as possible.

 

 _What was that?  What the fuck_ was _that?_

 

He didn’t want shit to do with whatever that freakshow was.  He should’ve expected some sort of bullshit like this from the person tasked with ‘escorting’ him to the cave.  Whatever Antei was, the personality wasn’t the same as the one that used that scripture.

 

Instead of saying anything, Antei approached the staff, and the scripture moved again.  The staff disappeared, forcing Seiten Taisei to at least land away from Antei.

 

“I know what you’re thinking,” Antei said, “and you’re wrong.”

 

Tense, Seiten Taisei braced himself to attack.  “Enlighten me.”

 

“It is not my intention to attack nor eliminate you.”  With trademark composure, Antei held loosened his posture.  “I didn’t mean to decieve you, if that’s what you suspect.”

 

Words don’t match actions in this case.  “Then what the fuck was that?”

 

“You asked about my scripture.”  The second he lowered his robes, Seiten Taisei re-summoned nyoi-bo, but all Antei did was stroke the paper.  “Death and Nothingness, the Muten Scripture.  If what it governs wasn’t self-explanatory enough, you already saw its basic purpose.  Using it at night being all the more fitting.”

 

Listening to the explanation didn’t assure Seiten Taisei in the least.  In fact, knowing what it did only made him back away, but before he could blink, Antei appeared close enough to wrap his hand around Seiten Taisei’s head.

 

“Be it a person’s existence or the space between me and you, the Muten Scripture buries it away.  Body parts or memories, they’re both easy to take away.”

 

Seiten Taisei should attack.  His ass should be attacking now.  But everything in his body told him to stay still.  

 

Then, Antei removed his hand, and the pressure on Seiten Taisei’s head lifted greatly.  More than just the hand.  Raking through his hair, Seiten Taisei no longer felt the diadem.  All of Earth suddenly connected back to him, and all at once, his senses and powers heightened.  It almost hurt. Almost overwhelmed him.  More than the regulator’s removal.  Things rushed and blurred before returning sharper and clearer than ever, and Antei still stood in front, arms crossed and the scripture hidden beneath his robes.

 

“Given the power of our adversary, I figured it’d be best you remove that Limiter.  I’m surprised you didn’t yourself.”

 

He’d been so pissed off over it he didn’t think to do so, but he can’t manage to point that out.

 

“I do not fear you double-crossing me, so you don’t have to fear the same.  Speaking to you has been enlightening.  Short a time it may be, i do hope to consider you an ally against a common foe, Seiten Taisei.”

 

Well who the fuck would argue against a walking black hole.  Seiten Taisei let Antei walk ahead of him, and the two continued their trek in silence.  His eyes don’t leave Antei’s back worth a damn just to be on the safe side.  Not until they finally stand in front of a cave, karst in its composition, surrounded by lotus flowers growing even around the cave’s mouth.  Up ahead, the cave jutted up awkwardly, almost like a makeshift tower, minus any windows.

 

“Quite the place,” Antei mused.

 

Seiten Taisei nodded.  Looking inside, he replaced the cave’s darkness with how dark his village got at night, with everyone in it sleeping peacefully without a care in the world.  Working with a freakshow priest against a freakshow demon or not, he still recalled the feeling of the restraints and Limiter holding him back.  He knew why he was here.

 

He walked past Antei, and entered the cave.


	13. Shattered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The somewhat surreal nature of this chapter made it hard to make in a sensible fashion, so it took awhile to write up in a way I was satisfied with. However goddamn did that BLAST anime promo motivate me to finish. I have less than five hours to sleep before work upon posting this and nothing to lose.

_I can smell something_

_The most natural thing there is_

_And it frightens me_

_Reaching for something ahead_

_A strange light absorbed my soul_

 

Damn murky water.

 

Squinting her eyes upon the pond, Kanzeon lost track of Seiten Taisei and Antei’s trek minutes after they entered cave.  The pond connected her to the Lower World, nothing less of a voyeur of Shangri-la’s life.  Ever since Gojin took Seiten Taisei back to it, Kanzeon observed his actions out of nothing but extreme curiosity.  Strangely enough, she couldn’t even call it amusing or entertaining, as it usually was.  No, this was nothing short of a god watching over the Lower World.

 

Hell, even Antei Sanzo, elusive man he was, seemed less an accessory to the mission and more another participant given a test by the gods.  

 

Antei Sanzo, known to some as the “Void Priest”.  A man who left behind no indulgent luxury upon receiving the Muten Sutra.  Smiling to herself, Kanzeon laughed.  The one string Seishi hadn’t pulled was this priest’s involvement.  Certainly the sisters agreed that it’d be unreasonable to leave Seiten Taisei free reign of his part of the bargain, but it’d been a very conscious decision to leave a mess of a priest with a mess of a heavenly sage.

 

The two getting along so well didn’t surprise her at all.  They were kindred spirits in hedonism, whether they knew it or not.

 

“Merciful Goddess…”  Jiroshin pulled Kanzeon out of her self-gloating.  “Does it not concern you that you can no longer keep watch over them?”

 

“No, but I am annoyed.  I was so engrossed in their little exchanges.”  She closed her eyes, shrugging.  “That Little Moon Cave they’re in must have some kind of power to it.  Mysterious, don’t you think?”

 

Never one to humour her fancies, Jiroshin’s frown deepened.  “They’re in the lion’s den.  I have no doubt Seiten Taisei can manage, but Antei Sanzo is still human.”

 

Kanzeon gave a dismissive wave of her hand.  “What happens happens.  I specifically told the Three Aspects it wasn’t an order for him to go, and he went anyway, didn’t he?  That means he’s prepared to fulfill whatever role fate has in store for him.”

 

Paling, Jiroshin shook his head.  “You definitely have an answer for everything.”

 

“Aw, don’t say it like that.  I really do believe they can get through this - with or without my supervision.”  After allowing the words to fall through the air, her smile faded.  “Besides, I can’t grasp what Seishi’s thinking, so I’d rather focus on two people I  _ can  _ understand..”

 

Given Seiten Taisei one last chance to redeem himself and let the disastrous creature return to his home in the Lower World - it seemed such a simple thing for her and Seishi to agree on.  Combined with how asinine it’d be to send the Eastern Army against ‘Yokubo’, as Antei called Chaand’s demon, gave them the perfect chance to act on that single agreement and give Seiten Taisei that chance.

 

“That’s definitely what she said at the meeting, but every word Seishi said had been gilded by something deeper, something not even Kanzeon could catch wind of.  “I  _ really  _ hate that.”

 

She had more to say.  She always had more to say, but a certain sound made her forget everything.  It was the uncanny crying of an infant child paired with firmly self-important footsteps. She turned her head just enough to see hell freeze over whilst Seishi Bosatsu was actually holding her son with her own two arms.  

 

“The one time I see you actually bother with him, and you bring the noisy little runt here.”

It wasn’t as if she disliked her nephew.  She just didn’t care much for children and babies in general.  Especially the loud ones.  One thing the sisters shared was an  _ absolute lack _ of maternal instinct.  

 

_ At least I had the sense not to have one myself. _

 

Stroking her unnamed son’s head, Seishi gave a silvery laugh.  “He was throwing a total fit.  I decided to give attendants a break.”  

 

“In my palace?”

 

“Technically it’s mine.”  Seishi smiled. “Granted I’m not above lending you hand-me downs... how about I just give you the whole palace?”

 

What an irritating voice.

 

The Goddess of Wisdom brushed hair off her shoulder. “I much prefer my pavilion in the Heavenly Eastern Sea.” Her cold eyes stare the pond down. “As far as spying on the Lower World goes, it's clearer than these waters.  Especially since it seems our little friend in Chaand has complete monopoly over that cave.”

 

That look in her eyes. One of superiority and the slightest hint of mockery. Kanzeon didn't claim to be anything of a philanthropist – hell, call hedonism her hobby – but the way Seishi looked over the world and everyone in it really rubbed her the wrong way. Even when the little runt in her arms began to cry and she cooed and coddled him, there wasn't a speck of affection in her gaze. Why she bothered to posture as maternal from time to time, Kanzeon didn't know. She didn't want to know. She 180'd from not having anything to do with him to totally doting on him in the blink of an eye without warning. And the maternal phase never lasted long.

 

Kanzeon crossed her arms, staring at the woman’s back. “What're you here for, anyway? You never stop by just to exchange words with me.”

 

“Oh, that's right.” She held her own son out, holding him more like a cat than a person. “Jiroshin, do me a favour and hold him.”

 

“I beg your pardon?”

 

“He gets heavy after awhile, and I have more important matters to discuss with dear Kannon anyway.” She very literally shoved the kid into Jiroshin's arms, and replaced him with her kiseru. “Right, so, what did you want to say to me, Kannon?”

 

She  _ hated  _ that nickname. It made her eyes twitch. “What the hell was  _ that _ during the 'meeting'?”

 

Seishi yawned. “What was ‘what’?”

 

“I don’t know what it is exactly, but there’s something you’re not telling me about this scheme regarding Seiten Taisei..”

 

“Kannon.”

 

“What?”

 

“I recall you being a bit displeased with the village getting involved. For as careless as you get, you had the audacity to call it 'excessive'.”

 

She overanalysed everything. Yeah, it was excessive. Kanzeon didn't see the point dragging that info dump on Seiten Taisei. Lock him up and pretend he'd be trapped for an eternity in Heaven. No need to add fuel to the flames when he got pissed off enough already. It wasn't Heaven's job to defend all the people in the Lower World, but rubbing the death of them in someone's face didn't accomplish anything.

 

And when they discussed that, Seishi hadn't mentioned a damn thing about siccing the War God on that demon in Chaand. In fact, she didn't mention _ a lot  _ that she pulled at the meeting.

 

“What’re you planning? Actually, what did you see?”

 

“You make me sound like a prophet.” Seishi smiled. “I’m merely the illustrious Goddess of Wisdom. I know what I’m doing regarding Seiten Taisei, believe me.”

  
  


That was hard to do. Wisdom? More like guile.

 

“In any case, I really did come here for a reason.  Taking care of the boy is easy enough, but I’ll be busy in a bit.  I can’t so much as be bothered by attendants taking care of him.  Be a dear aunt and take care of your nephew, would you?”

 

“No way in Hell.”

 

“I’m sure you’ll discover a hidden talent for curbing his boisterous nature.”  Seishi already began to walk away, and trying to stop her, as any other day, was pointless.

  
  


At a sudden surge of the infant’s crying, Kanzeon scowled.  “I really hate that woman.”

  
  


Jiroshin, still recovering from the baby currently in his possession, frowned deeply. “For all she does in Heaven, I fear she gets away with too much.”

  
  


Hmph. That happened when you used to be a consort to the Jade Emperor. Seishi didn’t have to worry about virtually any of her actions with that rusty geezer overlooking them.

  
  


Scratching her head, Kanzeon fell back into her seat, glaring the pond down. She recalled that creature indulging himself in the water. You’d never guess he had a penchant for slaughter. and now it seemed everyone went out of their way to provoke him.

  
  


_ This is bound to bite us in the ass one day. _

 

***

 

The cave wasn’t that impressive.  Large, watery, and musky, but not impressive.  Not to Seiten Taisei.

 

Some of the cavern walls, he noticed, reflected him so clearly they might as well have been mirrors.  The gloss and reflections weren’t natural, yet were scattered throughout, capturing every movement without the need for light.  Even the water beneath his feet barely reflected his face, but the walls acted like flawless mirrors.

 

Grimacing, Antei looked away from the walls.  “I’m not much fond of mirrors.  Or reflections in general, for that matter.”

 

Listening to his echo, Seiten Taisei walked forward.  “Why?”

 

“I dislike the thought that my reflection might do something when I’m not looking.”

 

To each their own.  Seiten Taisei rapped his fist on the wall, abnormally smooth.  “It really is just like a mirror.  This Yokubo must be one hell of a narcissist.”  

 

“You recovered well from the slump you were in when i first met you.”

 

“Watching a faulty priest eradicate a person from existence does somethin’ to ya.”  Nothing positive, either.  The fact that they casually spoke in the lion’s den didn’t seem all that bright, but being tense wouldn’t help either.  His stomach churned again, followed by unnatural lightheadedness.  At least, he  _ assumed  _ this was what lightheadedness felt like. It felt like everything in his skull dispersed into air and spun around.  “Ah… shit, I really am hungry after not eatin’ at that shitty restaurant.”

 

“Thinking about food at a time like this…” Antei shook his head.  “Your thoughts are monkeys and your brain the forest, truly.”

 

“Dunno what that means.”

 

“It means you have a nasty habit of not focusing..”

 

Seiten Taisei huffed in disagreement, but offered no retort.  He ran a hand through his hair, quickly losing his steam for banter.  “Goddammit… it feels awful in here.”  His stomach kept churning.  It felt like one wrong step would make him vomit.  And  _ he  _ was a powerful being, Antei was already sweating.  Who the hell knew how long he’d last.

 

Staring at loose, damp stones beneath him, Seiten Taisei heard rattling to his left.  It was, without a doubt, familiar rattling.  Like the rattling of a chain.  But this was more erratic than anything Gokin’s chigiriki could muster.  And much, much longer and lighter.

 

He held his hand to catch the attack, but at the last second, Antei tugged him back, using the scroll to banish the weapon.  As grateful as he should be, Seiten Taisei couldn’t fight frustration that he wasn’t given a chance to at least know what tried to attack him.

 

Noticing his annoyance, Antei pat the scroll flat on his shoulders.  “I apologise, it was a reflex.”  He stared down the deep cavern.  “I only caught a glimpse of it.  A curved blade.  Needless to say… it wasn’t anything fancy.  Knock on wood.”

 

Seiten Taisei cracked a smile.  Something about the priest’s odd way of phrasing things alleviated most tension building up in the cave.  It went on for what felt like ages, and even he couldn’t see the end of it.  In theory, he could make it down the way in a flash, but with ditching Antei set ill with him.

 

_ What a pain… _

 

Briefly, he covered his nose and mouth in a futile effort to block out the musky scent of the cave.  Yokubo should be unarmed now, but there was a way the cave felt that he didn’t like.  An uneasy film that crawled over his skin.  And their target did nothing but toy with them a little and wait in darkness.

 

He glanced at Antei, and the priest’s expression only worsened, with sweat dripping down his brow.  What Seiten Taisei felt a fraction of, Antei felt the full brunt of.  Yet he kept upright without a single word of complaint.

 

_ Way to make me feel inadequate. _

 

Humans were like that.  Compared to demons, let alone himself, humans, physically, were some of the weakest things on two legs.  But they were far from helpless.  They had the uncanny ability to pool resources and wills together to become a powerful force.  Depending on the people, it could be admirable or fearsome.  Physically speaking, their strength was easy to dismiss.  But when it came to willpower, they were some dangerous creatures.

 

He heard crackling behind him, and Antei slumped against the cave wall with a hand on his face.

 

Humans were strong  _ most  _ of the time.

 

“Y’know I can handle a demon on my own, right?”  It wouldn’t be the first time Seiten Taisei took charge.  Even when Goko’s unit got assigned along with him on a mission, the War God succeeded in completing things on his own, without a scratch on  _ anyone _ .  

 

With a sharp light in his dark eyes, Antei eyed Seiten Taisei.  “I’ll be fine.”

 

Seiten Taisei shrugged, continuing his trek.  “Suit yourself.” “What the hell sorta priest do they have me workin’ with?”

 

Antei pushed himself off the wall, dragging Seiten Taisei along with him.  “You’re far too talkative given our current situation.”  He sighed, shaking his head.  “Let’s get a move on.  Worrying about me won’t help you.”

 

Well excuse him for wanting to know more about the person ready to bust ass to help him.  And what was with the sour mood?  And why the hell did this cave just go on for forever?  It didn’t feel like they made any progress.  At this point, all he could see was a faint light off to the side, flickering in and out like a lantern.  A slight breeze flew from the light, and Seiten Taisei got strong, potent whiffs of incense.  Mixed with the damp air, it smelled rancid.

 

“Who the hell would light incense here?”

 

Antei’s expression cleared, only for his whole body to tense.  “That’s… aloeswood.  Judging by how strong it smells… it’s kyara, to be precise.”

 

“You can tell?”

 

Antei nodded.  “I know someone very fond of the scent.”  He went ahead, straight for the light.

 

Something didn’t feel right.  With a leap, Seiten Taisei landed in front of Antei a great deal ahead, closer to the light.  Its flickering lessened the closer he got, and the scent stronger.  This deep in, the walls lost their reflective effect, as dull as any stone on the ground.  Soon, the lantern’s glow warmly illuminated the ground in orange and gold hues.

 

Yet, when Seiten Taisei was sure he reached the source of the light, it was nowhere to be seen.  Saying it ‘disappeared’ didn’t sound right, and the scent of incense still invaded his senses.  He looked around, but all he saw was a few strands of long hair.  

 

“So there’s nothing here?”  Antei finally caught up, staring where the light should have been.  

 

Seiten Taisei held up the hair strands.  “Just these.  If someone was here, they aren’t anymore.  And I don’t smell anything  _ living _ .”

 

Frowning at the hairs, Antei lowered his robes.  “It’s obvious Yokubo’s toying with us.  There’s no point in hiding the scripture now.  I don’t know when I’ll need it.”

 

Seiten Taisei followed suit, summoning nyoi-bo and resting it along his shoulders.  He stared at Antei’s back, and lifted the hair strands back to his sight.  Why was hair somewhere like this?  He refrained from telling the priest it had faint scents of perfume on it.

 

“Seiten Taisei,” Antei’s voice was low, barely echoing in the cave.  “What colour are those hairs?”

 

Weird question.  Unfortunately, even with his eyesight, Seiten Taisei couldn’t make out the colour.  It looked sort of brown?  But different from his own brown hair.

 

Crossing his arms, Antei looked away.  “I see… it was reported people go missing for a time in this cave.  I suppose signs of them are inevitable.”

 

The way he spoke sounded weird.  Stiff, as if he expected something more.  Taking a gamble, Seiten Taisei asked a simple question.

 

“Someone you know go missing near here?”

 

Antei froze, looking down just very slightly.  “Not with brown hair, no.”

 

Seiten Taisei tilted his head.  That sure was a weird way to answer a question.  And in such a subdued voice, too.

 

“Let’s keep moving, Seiten Taisei.”

 

As curious as Seiten Taisei was about the man, he didn’t argue.  Keep moving.  Defeat this Yokubo prick.  Chill on Earth.   Easy.

 

Conversation died the rest of the way, and another attack never came.  Water dripping down into puddles became the only noise paired with the duo’s footsteps.  Suffering in silence, Seiten Taisei felt his lightheadedness worsen by the minute.  The deeper in the cave they got, the stronger feeling, until the inside of his head felt like it was spinning, and his stomach felt like ice cold waters with fish swimming inside.

 

He wanted to vomit.  The feeling consistently rose up in his throat, followed by tight churning in his stomach, but it died down as quickly as it built up.  Over and over.  It was driving him absolutely mad.

 

He didn’t know why, but it was less the cave itself and more something in it that made him feel this way.  When they entered, Seiten Taisei felt some sort of ‘energy’ clash with his own.  As if his and Yokubo’s energies twisted against each other, utterly incompatible, but just barely able to hook around and cling to each other, grinding like sandpaper across his skin.

 

“Seiten Taisei.”

 

Figured he’d notice.  Seiten Taisei knew Antei was about to comment on his mood.  It had to be obvious.  The priest put a hand on his shoulder, stopping his advancement.

 

Seiten Taisei turned to face him, but the pressure on his shoulder and presence behind him completely disappeared.  Almost like the priest of ‘death and nothingness’ himself didn’t exist.  

 

“Where the hell…?  Hey, Antei!”

 

Echoes answered him, without a single trace of Antei disrupting them.  As far as Seiten Taisei could see, the man up and dissolved into thin air.

 

Unnatural heat beaming down on Seiten Taisei’s neck distracted him from being particularly puzzled, and from the corner of his eye, he saw bright, sunny light.  He sensed no danger from any side.

 

In front of him, the cave no longer extended.

 

A scalding sun blinded him.  He couldn’t see.  His nose, however, went into overdrive, and he felt a breeze.   The scent shoved the heavy flavour of copper right in his mouth.

 

Blood?

 

His vision finally cleared up from the light, and before him stood his village.  Except, definitely not.  Buildings caved in, walls and structures ripped apart.  Blood painting everything in sight.

  
  


‘Thinking’ became impossible.  

 

On autopilot, He jumped through an open window to land inside.   Belongings destroyed.  Clothes tattered.  But no bodies.  Just blood to prove people lived here.

 

The more his mind raced, the more his ears overheard strange noises outside, towards the village's centre.  Like white noise drowning the rest of his senses.  There was nothing left in his mind to question why he suddenly found himself in his village.

 

Something told him not to investigate any further, but if he was going to suddenly be back here, he wanted to know.

 

What greeted him in the village’s centre was Hell itself.

 

Bodies piled high in the centre. Mangled, disfigured, maimed.  And crawling all over their corpses were demons stretching apart and chewing their flesh.

 

Anger, infuriation, there wasn't a word that burned his body deep enough to suffice. Yet the sound of footsteps behind him clamped a lid down on his boiling emotions. His mind going blank, he turned to a raggedy bunch, armed with anything and everything, just like the bandits he encountered with Antei.

 

Their leader, the size of a bear, cast a smarmy smile. And behind him his group carried run-of-the-mill goods and foods in their possession. The guy opened his mouth, most likely to brag, but...

  
  


What  _ was _ the guy saying? As great as Seiten Taisei's hearing was, the man's words made no sense. He heard words, absolutely, but they didn't have meaning to them. All he knew was that this guy, and all the ones rallying behind him, rummaging through the villagers' belongings. It all irritated him. Beyond irritated him. And knowing this wasn't real pissed him off more. Letting a bunch of fake shit piss him off? What the fuck?

 

The damned man kept on talking. Without thinking, Seiten Taisei's hand reached for the man's head, squeezing down on it with just enough pressure to make it hurt, but not enough to crush it. Which he could. Even the man wasn't real, he felt real enough that the pressure somewhat satiated Seiten Taisei.

 

A small breeze picked, and a strong whiff of dirt and water caught Seiten Taisei's attention, with the slightest hint of a lotus. And it came right from this man. Nothing else. No personal scent attached to him. He smelled  _ just _ like a clay doll.

 

Instead of surprise, amusement took over. He was laughing a lot this night. He released the man, letting him thump to his ass on the dirt. Raking his claws through his hair, Seiten Taisei turned back to the pile of bodies. Everything down to their teeth and scents were accurate. He could recognise each and every person in the pile almost individually. Yet the demons devouring their bloodied bodies smelt the same as the man.

 

“God... haha... fucking honestly?” He stopped the man from getting away, a wicked smile on his face. “Tell me something, friend?” Looking the man in the eye, he couldn't see his own reflection. “Why the fuck are you scared right now?”

 

He had this huge, gruff looking man shaking out of his 'skin'. Petrified to the point he couldn't even respond.

 

“Dying isn't  _ possible _ for you. You're just gonna turn back to dirt. I can't, for the life of me, even remember what you're actually called. But I do know it  _ really grinds my gears _ knowing there aren't any guts in that stomach of yours to  _ tear into _ to relieve stress.”

 

Crushing the man's head didn't feel like bones crushing. That was very different from cracking through clay. Harder. More difficult, but only by a centimetre's worth of pressure. When his head finally gave way, it wasn't in skeletal sections - all at once. The rest of his body flopped to the dirt and disintegrated, lost to the wind.  All the remained was some lotus flower in his place.

 

He looked over the rest of the men, all with the same exact scent. They weren't living beings, but their horror still looked that of those that just witnessed murder. Weird. It wasn't like they could actually die.

 

Wiping sweat from the back of his neck, Seiten Taisei sighed. “What're you guys sniveling about?” He jabbed his thumb at the pile behind him. “It pisses me off – it's like I can still smell their fear lingering in every air particle, but you guys... there's just nothing.” He flexed his claws. “Killing you guys-”

 

A 'demon' lurched for him with a guttural hiss. Seiten Taisei whipped around, and one swipe of his hand was all it took to destroy the thing. Just as dirt-filled as the rest of them.

 

He lost track of what he intended to say. Couldn't think of what it was to save his life.

 

Whatever. It didn't take but a few seconds, a minute at the most, before every single thing staring or chewing around him was ripped and torn apart. It happened like a blur, even the culprit himself didn't realise how quickly he acted. Before Seiten Taisei knew it, all that kept him company were lotus flowers and the pile of villagers, an irate sun beating down and baking what was left of them.

  
  


He took a deep breath, nyoi-bo disappearing from his hold.

 

Whatever this place was, it was fake. Not his village. The relief that washed over him lifted no weight off his shoulders, nor did it clear his mind. It just settled in as fact.  He just need a way out of whatever the hell this was.

 

He became aware of the mirror weighing down his clothes, and picked it up.  As it should, it showed the village.  His real village.  No corpses, no debris or destruction.  No filthy-smelling bandits.  Just the village and its villagers.  It gave him some sense of comfort, but at the same time, he could see faces.  Worried, concerned.  God, even some looked like they were praying. 

 

It  _ tore  _ at him, to the core of his existence.

 

Defeat Yokubo, get the fuck out of here, and return to his village.  That was the plan.  He was the Great Sage Equaling Heaven Seiten Taisei, something like this was child’s play for him.

 

Return to his village.  His companions.  That was it.  Like a mantra, it cycled through his head.  Return.  Return.   Never enter a cave as dark as this nor return to a sunless Heaven.  His village. 

 

Just return.


	14. Bits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i never wanna look at this chapter again i just like minor bits of gore ok

_Unlike a mirror_

_We see reflections in-depth_

_Cross-stitching our hearts_

_There is nothing more vital_

_Than the carmine grin you gave_

 

Antei hadn’t the slightest idea where Seiten Taisei got to.  He just knew he looked away for five seconds, and the sage disappeared.  He doubted Seiten Taisei would leave him behind, stubborn as he acted.  In fact, rushing Antei would be more likely than anything else.  

 

The cave felt worse in the sage's absence.  Its atmosphere skyrocketed, a tidal wave that slammed into him head on.  Combined with the endless myriad of mirrors, it might as well be its own hell.

 

Mirrors surrounded him.  The damn cave might as well have real mirrors.  It almost set worse with him than the demonic presence wrapping around him.  

 

_Assigning a human man to escort one golden-eyed being to seal another in its cave... surely Heaven is joking._

 

Even as a Sanzo Priest, Antei knew both beings greatly outclassed him.  The Muten Scripture gave him only a slight edge, but failed to up his confidence.  Stroking the paper around his shoulders, he became acutely aware of everything behind him.  The reflections behind him still stared down his back.

 

The scripture tore nearly everything behind him away, cracking the cave's walls to shards and pebbles.  He heard rock pile atop the ground, fairly satisfying to hear, frankly.  

 

Turn around.

 

Antei froze.  

 

Turn around.

 

They aren't his thoughts, not his voice.  And the scent of sandalwood paired up with it.

 

"It's definitely kyara..."

 

He knew someone fond of the scent, and without fail she lit incense to fill every space with it.   How their opponent knew that was beyond him, but the way the cave rumbled felt like an answer.

 

He moved, and stepped on something with enough pressure to crack it.  Looking down, a small bowl rolled to its side.  He watched it roll away from him.  Only a short distance, but for a moment that felt like forever.  When it finally stopped, it cracked into tiny shards as reflective as the rest of the cave

 

The shards reflected a wiry figure hunched behind him, tending to light and incense.

 

He knew.  He knew damn well this couldn’t be real.  But his body took over and made him turn to see her.

 

He turned and saw _himself_ .  Not in the cave’s wall, no.  In fact, the ‘mirrors’ all disappeared, swallowed by the small, humble village house he now stood in.   _Antei_ couldn't move, but what could only be his 'double' walked with perfect fluidity and life.  Just like watching a play.  A live reenactment.

 

His hair stood on end.   The way the sun crept into the house.  How the footsteps creaked on floorboards.  The taste, smell, and feeling of the air.  How had Seiten Taisei put it?   It had a distinct way of wrapping around one's body?

 

This air didn't wrap around Antei.  It tightened the chained noose around his neck and froze his blood solid.  He recalled every chirp of the birds outside and movement his double made down to the letter.

 

His brown eyes widened at a pair of lighter footsteps, followed by a young woman's soft, silvery humming.  He knew she was appearing soon.

 

Sure enough, a girl not much older than 16 walked into the room, a bright smile on her face.

 

Antei couldn't move, couldn't look away, but her name slipped through without fail.

 

"Kyara..."

 

Kyara tilted her head at 'Antei', who stood in front of an altar adorned with a small bowl of rice and incense holder.  In the centre hung the painting of a beautiful woman wearing a bright blue pendant, the same Kyara now wore.

 

She waved a stick of sandalwood incense in 'Antei'.  "I got it~."

 

He nodded and carefully lit it, carefully placing it in the holder.  The two clasped their hands together, and bowed to the altar in silence.  A somber, short moment, but nonetheless meaningful.

 

When the moment came to an end, Kyara's smile returned.  "Hey, there's something I was thinking of."

 

"What's that?"

 

The girl lifted up strands of wavy, deep carmine hair.  "What if I tried dyeing it?"

 

Antei paused, wrinkling his eyes.  "Why would you want to do that, Kyara?"

 

She rolled her eyes, a perfect match with her hair.  "Because, if I do, people would feel more comfortable around me, wouldn't they?"  She softened her gaze, returning to the painting.  "Mum always mentioned hearing people lots of things about her.  But when she started wearing a Limiter, it died down, didn't it?"

 

It did, yes. Still...

 

"I won't stop you if that's what you want, but there's no need to be ashamed of your hair."  Moving from the altar, 'Antei' looked Kyara in the eye.  "And there's no hiding your heritage in the first place."

 

She shrugged.  "That's not the point though."  She smiled, but it wasn't one a father could admire.  "As much as I like my hair, something brown would stand out less."  She swung the basket in her hand around.  "I won't look in a mirror thinking I'm unwanted.  I just want to go on in other places without trouble.  That's it."  

 

Antei's heart wrenched.  He lived on happy to never listen to this again.  Her voice was a breath of fresh air, but not like this.

 

As soon as she finished, someone tapped a hand on their door.  Kyara answered it quickly, greeted by one of the villagers’ children.  They held up a bowl with cherries, a favourite of Kyara’s.  She thanked them, and promptly showed off the routine delivery to Antei.  Personally, he wasn’t a fan of cherries, so all of them went straight to his daughter’s stomach.

 

“You’re going straight to your room to eat them?”  


She nodded.  “Of course.”

 

“You are a strange one.”  He smiled.  “Enjoy them, Kyara.”

 

The second she walked off, the scene morphed.  Colours lost vibrance and the air weighed down on Antei’s shoulders.

 

Immobilised, he knew exactly what the shift meant.  The sunlight dimmed to warm sunset, painting the house with red-orange hues.  The only colours visible.  Everything in the room faded away to a new scene, and, now, he himself stood in front of a door.  

 

He saw the door slowly creak open.  His hand tensed.  Looking down, he understood that the door didn’t open on its own.   _He_ opened it.  The door to Kyara’s room.  Her room, with that mirror right across from the door, inclined just enough to reflect the floor.

 

The first things he noticed were the cherries and bowl shards sprawled all over the floor, some covered in what could only be vomit.  A mixture of yellow-green the gradually gave way to speckles of red in its piles.  The trail led straight to Kyara.  A young girl convulsing on the ground and coughing up handfuls of blood that blended into her long hair.  He reached out to her, but an unknown force held him back.

 

Wrong, he knew for a fact he rushed to her side, at a complete loss how to save her.  Without a single idea what happened to her.  His daughter was in pain.  Dying.  That’s what he knew.  Everything else didn’t matter.  A person didn’t linger or mull over how something happened when their child trembled on the floor rasping for air.

 

He struggled against what held him back, and broke through, stumbling to his hands and knees.  The second he did, he heard a chain whip around, and a crescent moon-shaped blade tore into Kyara’s body and left it in shambles, everything from blood to muscle covering Antei’s body.

 

Numbly, he followed the chain back to its source, and watched it recoil back into the mirror.  Gold eyes reflected in it, and a figure slipped through the mirror.  The shards cracked, falling to the floor in watery, silvery puddles, like mercury, and dripped down the creature’s body slowly.  When he walked through the mirror entirely, all behind him left no indication of anything other than the wall behind the mirror.

 

With blood splashed into his eyes, Antei’s vision only made out the newcomer’s basic details.  Long white hair trailed along the floor, covering much of his face.  The rest of him might as well be transparent, indistinguishable - spectral.  The creature’s chi flowed unlike the _fire_ that engulfed Seiten Taisei.  This was cold.  Like metal.  It left a rigid feeling in Antei's senses, chaining him down.  The unknown force that pulled him from Kyara.

  
So this was 'Yokubo'.


	15. Chipped

Dry, troubled winds blow

Choking me with a bird's call

That I hear inside

It mimics my every step

Must I kill an albatross?

 

Yokubo stared Antei down.  The same hue and depth of gold as Seiten Taisei in his eyes.  

 

The blood covering Antei soon dried, still loose, more like ink than anything.  Beneath him, all that remained of ‘Kyara’ was just a lotus flower.

 

Definitely not real.  That’s the one thing he knew.  He’d much rather Kyara’s body had disappeared when she died, but that never happened.  Her body just… stayed there.  Surrounded by her own coughed up blood, along with the cherries and shards of a jade bowl.

 

Antei’s mind came and went with what happened after Kyara died.  It’d been a blur.  A  _ film  _ over his memories and senses. 

 

“Priest Antei Sanzo, you seem absent-minded.”

 

With a voice too unlike his phantasmic appearance, Yokubo stood only a bit away from Antei, leaning on the monk’s spade in his possession.  Nothing mundane.  A spade drowning in its owner’s dark energies.  The room tilted where he stood.

 

Antei braced the Muten Scripture.  Yokubo watched the scroll weave around him, but the whirlwind soon died down, and the creature stood just up lazily as before.  

 

As the scripture settled back on his shoulders, Antei felt cold sweat drip down his face.  Death and Nothingness, by all means, were inescapable.  Anything material met its end when faced with it.  Even Seiten Taisei understood that, yet to Yokubo, the scripture’s powers were a banal wind.

 

Through a hissing laugh, Yokubo shrugged.  “You’ll find I am not that vulnerable, Priest Antei.”

 

Antei kept a hand on the scripture, his eyes falling to the lotus flower where ‘Kyara’ was.  “You have some tricks up your sleeve, I’ll admit.”  If ‘tricks’ involved sadism.  “So what’s this little game?  Illusions?  I never heard of Chaand’s demon pulling fancy games like this.”

 

A low  _ ‘haaaaa’  _ slithered through the air.  Disembodied from Yokubo.  “Nothing like that.  But don’t ask me.”

 

“Who am I asking, then?”

 

Yokubo laughed.  “Little Moon Cave itself.”  Whilst he moved, the monk’s spade gleamed unnaturally.  “It might as well be the same person as I am.  I am the Little Moon King, after all.”

 

_ Person _ ?

 

Antei shook off curiosity.  “Modest name you’ve given yourself.”

 

“Certianly more creative than ‘Chaand’s demon’.”  Yokubo clapped a hand on Antei’s shoulder.  “Although I do like the sound of ‘Yokubo’ as well.”

 

Antei shirked him off, but the ‘Little Moon King’ stepped back, shaking his head.  “What do you plan on doing if you  _ did  _ kill me?”

 

A voice rippled in Antei’s head.  The same as the Three Aspects hours earlier.  When he first heard of the mission.

 

_ ‘He  _ is the Great Sage’s problem.’

 

Eliminating Chaand’s  _ Heretic _ , easy as it’d be, wouldn’t help Seiten Taisei. In fact, doing so might as well invite him to ‘venting’ on Antei. As soon as his defences lowered, Yokubo swayed closer.

 

Once more in front of Antei, Yokubo’s breath smelt of rotting fish.  “This cave tells me everything. From what you want to do to what you’ve already done.”  

 

His clawed hand abruptly wrapped around Antei’s throat, shoving him against the wall.  A strange light rippled through his eyes.  Not wild.  Not tame.  Just a hand dragging him around the house and back into the past.  

 

On  _ that  _ day, he recalled people rushing into his house, including the boy from earlier, and his father and mother.  Had he been yelling?  He couldn’t think of any other reason anyone would rush into the  _ priest's  _ abode.  

 

He been brought and left in the village’s public shrine, left just near the outskirts of the village for passerby to pray and such in.  just left there to his own devices.  A possible attempt to give him some space, but without an inch of sympathy.  Not that he felt much of anything from himself, let alone others.

 

That numbness stemmed into the edge of night.  Vagabond demons and humans used the temple’s isolated setting as a ‘tunnel’ into the main village, and upon seeing a priest ‘meditating’, found an easy target.

 

A man, their leader,  let him go.  Without a single word.  None of the raiders made a move for him.   Just walked right past him.  Maybe because Antei never alerted nearby acolytes of their invasion?  It never occurred to him to warn anyone in the village.  He barely remembered their faces.  His mind preoccupied by this strange light he saw in the earlier child’s eyes.  In his father and wife’s eyes.

 

‘Be seen, not heard’. 

 

Anyone with half a mind would’ve took the hint and ran for safety.

 

He should’ve left.  He knew that.  Raiders dove straight into destroying the village for anything and anyone they could get their hands on.  Yet the carnage didn’t deter him.  He had no reason to keep the Muten Sutra, but… he had a reason to want it.   

 

His snow-white hair flowing along the floor, Yokubo nodded.  Antei had no recollection of saying anything, but the demon’s attentiveness signaled otherwise.  

 

“And what reason was that?”

 

Some sort of synapse snapped apart.  Any unease turned into ice-cold numbness.

 

It was such.  A stupid question.

 

“I erased that bastard’s wife and son from existence right in front of him.”  

 

No.  That wasn’t entirely true.  Just a few months ago, his wife asked Antei for prayers in light of finding out she was pregnant with another child.  He added the fact robotically.  His eyes reflecting nothing but the air behind Yokubo.

 

 “The entire time he kept saying his kid just mistook poisonous berries for the usual cherries.”  As if anyone was  _ that  _ stupid.

 

Slowly, Yokubo’s released Antei, letting the priest fall to the floor with a tumble.  His amusement disappeared, and he turned away.  “It seems… I have misjudged you, Antei Sanzo.”

 

Antei brushed blood off his shoulders.  “Did you expect remorse?” 

 

No matter how hard he tried, remorse didn’t register with him.  He figured Seiten Taisei had a better grasp on that sort of thing, what with his village’s impending peril being his own fault.  Even so, Antei found no room to offer the sage his sympathies.  His intention to assist Seiten Taisei was genuine, but as far as his utmost devotion to his village went, Antei couldn’t relate.  Admirable indeed, but so detached from Antei’s world it had to have manifested from a dream of sorts.

 

Just like a bird watching a monkey swing through trees in place of wings.

 

He didn’t get the nickname ‘Void Priest’ just because of his scripture.  

 

 “It appears I granted a nightmare its own dream.”

 

He called this a ‘dream’? 

 

Antei laughed.  Where the laugh came from, he didn’t know.  Maybe because, for a split second, he thought pinching himself awake might work.  But something as small-scale as that wouldn’t do the trick for something as elaborate as what Yokubo was capable of, would it?

  
  


The Muten Scripture shuddered, and an instant later, a large gash split the side of Antei's leg open.  He bit the pain back, instead watching the scene and Heretic in front of him waver from sight.  The cave's reflective walls returned.  The air,twisted, chained him to reality.

 

The wound burrowed beyond where Antei formed it, making bones ache., but he freed himself, at least.  Looking around, Yokubo was nowhere in sight, and where Antei stood, shards of the wall surrounded him.  Had he  _ been  _ in the wall?   Looking around, the light and scent of incense turned to damp, wet rock and earth.  Everything ghost-quiet.

 

In the wall ahead of him, bright, fiery gold light shimmered.  Squinting, Antei could hardly make out Seiten Taisei’s form in the wall, in his own ‘dream’ it seemed.  Covered nearly head to toe in dirt and surrounded by those lotus flowers.

 

Whatever he experienced didn't matter.  The scripture rippled through the mirror, unseen by Seiten Taisei.  In an instant, it created a gash in his arm.  Nothing deadly, but painful enough that not even the sage could shrug it off.

 

Claws wrapped around Antei’s neck.  Unlike Yokubo’s hold, this crushed around his throat’s bones and slammed him down to the wet, rocky cave floor.  Warm, like fire.  Firm, like rock.

 

"What happened to not using on me?"

 

As if Antei could answer with oxygen being cut off.  Seiten Taisei’s grip was a constrictor.  "What I did... Was free you, Seiten Taisei."

 

"Free me?"  His grip lessened, and soon enough, he caught on to his surroundings.  He released Antei, now holding onto his injured arm.  Sniffing the air, he focused on Antei's leg.

 

"What happened there?"

 

Antei forced himself up, bearing his weight on his good leg as much as possible.  "Pinch yourself and you wake from a dream.  Injure yourself and you won't be able to relax, let alone sleep.

 

“Whatever that means…”  Seiten Taisei crouched to the gash's height.  "Why not just make it not exist?"

 

"I don't enjoy playing God."  As much as it smarted, it out a bad taste in Antei's mouth to use the scripture for something like an injury.  For that reason he didn't offer the same for Seiten Taisei's arm.  It wasn't like he wouldn't recover on his own.

 

"So..."  Seiten Taisei stood, looking at the reflective walls surrounding him.  "That's his power?  Making up illusions?"

 

"I don't think it's that simple, but in layman's terms, yes."

 

They never fell asleep, that much Antei understood.  And from the sounds of it, Seiten Taisei had the instincts needed to decipher reality from trickery with ease.  Not much an advantage as it was a safety net.

 

_ Something else bothers me... _

 

He watched Seiten Taisei walk on, still covered in dirt, a strange feeling wrapped around every bit of air he breathed in and out.   

 

Antei put a hand on his shoulder.  Seiten Taisei whipped around, his claws cutting into Antei's arm.  Had the priest hesitated moving back a second later, he'd lose more than a few strips of flesh.  The attack burned and throbbed, at the same time leaving numbness from his elbow upward.

 

Sharp eyes regarded him without an ounce of remorse.  "Now really isn't the time to do things I can't see."

 

Holding the wound, Antei resisted the need to hiss at the throbbing.  "...My apologies."

 

"You also need to rethink that whole not using your scripture for injuries."

 

Antei discarded the tattered glove on his arm.  "I find myself for concerned with how tense you are."

 

He smiled.  "I never get tense."  He snorted.  Something that echoed through the cave.  "But pissed off?  That's plausible."

 

He stared down the cave's black end, gold eyes glowing.    

 

"Why... Are you smiling?"

  
Seiten Taisei paused, inhaling and loosening his muscles.  When he exhaled, the cave’s atmosphere lightened up a bit.  "Because I was born smiling."


	16. Cracks

_Hell begins to rise_

_With our names penned down on lists_

_So let's erase them_

_We might lose ourselves later_

_But we'll live to see the dawn_

 

_ I’m startin’ to think this cave never ends… _

At least the ‘village’ had a beginning and end.  But trudging his way through a musky cave that made his stomach churn really cramped Seiten Taisei’s style.  Antei took it in stride, and Seiten Taisei could only assume that meant the priest somehow absorbed what little patience the sage had for himself.

He knew light gleamed ahead, but no matter how far they walked, it never got closer.

“For fuck’s  _ sake… _ ”

Antei held his hand up, silencing Seiten Taisei.  “Before you start, understand getting impatient may get you-”

Seiten Taisei faced him, crossing his arms.  He didn’t need to say anything.  They both knew worrying about him getting ‘killed’ sounded more like myth than concern.

“...in any case…” Antei cleared his throat.  “Let’s keep going.  Given your circumstances, you can’t afford to get frustrated.”

“Knowing that doesn’t stop me from feeling it.”

“And neither will liberate you from Heaven.”

The Great Sage huffed.  “Freeing myself from Heaven is easy.  It’s the gap between imprisonment and freeing myself I’m worried about.”

Their separate times made it near impossible to gauge how long Seiten Taisei could take freeing himself.  In Heaven, it’d take maybe a few hours - on a bad day, at least.  How long that spanned on Earth, he wouldn’t know.  Long enough for demons or thieves to cause shit in the village? Maybe.  Maybe not.  

In his thoughts, he barely heard footsteps behind him change to stumbles.  For the past while, the trek continued like this: walking at a normal pace for a while, then stopping so Antei could rest his leg.  The idiot could use his powers as a Sanzo Priest to dismiss the wound whenever he wanted, but adamantly refused.

Watching more blood stain his robes, Seiten Taisei scrunched his nose up.  “No offence, but you reak.”  Not that he never smelled larger amounts of blood, but mixed with this nasty ass cave air?  No thanks.  “Just heal yourself already.”

“I don’t plan on-”

“-playin’ the role of a god.”  Seiten Taisei shrugged.  “Not that a god would get ‘emselves injured in the first place.  What the hell do you plan to do against this thing anyway?  You only had to ‘escort’ me to the cave.”

“And I chose to assist you out of respect.”  Antei straightened up, straining to keep his leg straight.  “You’re welcome.”

“Hmph…”  He summoned nyoi-bo, tossing it to Antei.  “I can tell you’re gonna be a royal pain in my ass to keep from getting maimed.”

Antei ignored his offer.  “Worry about  _ your  _ predicament, Seiten Taisei.”  

He muttered something else the second Seiten Taisei turned around, causing the sage to,  _ once again, _ stop advancing.  Seiten Taisei didn’t want to think he heard him right, but the longer he contemplated asking Antei, the more curiosity drove him crazy.  With a roll of his eyes, he took a deep breath.  His stomach flopped again.  Ice cold.

“Antei, say again?”

A clumsy stumble, followed by silence.

“In case you didn’t realise, I’m not deaf, Antei.”

“I… simply find you strange.”  No caution in his remark.  Just a flat, bland tone.  “By all means, you’re doing what most anyone would do, and yet... “  A dry  _ laugh _ .  “While I sympathise with your motivation for fighting him, I can’t help but peg you a fool for going through this much for a single village.” It came out of nowhere. Like he’d been holding the thought back since they met. “I am here merely to escort you, not risk life and limb for villagers I don’t care to know. It’s possible claims to assist  you merely stem from wanting to see how this ends.”

Seiten Taisei sucked in a breath.  Maybe he blamed the cave’s strange effect, but it felt like his mind blanked to an empty slate. He didn’t know how many ribs he cracked, but he heard enough snaps to feel satisfied, and left his knee digging into the man’s abdomen just a few seconds longer than needed.

“I don’t recall  _ ever  _ Heaven telling me your well-being affects my success, so I’ll be damned if you fuck this up for me, Antei.”

The priest gripped rocks alongside the wlls to force himself straight up, his free hand cradling his side. Sweat dropped down his face, but he stood tall.  

What the fuck was his apathetic face for.

“You’re not keen on loyalty, are you.”

Pot calling the fucking kettle black, apparently.  “My priority is my village.” He really shouldn’t feel the need to justify himself. “As much I wanna appreciate your help, it’s hard.  And I don’t get what the 180 is for.”

He smiled and laughed. “Then we’re on the same page, my friend.” The scripture on his shoulders rustled, and pain disappeared from his face. “I admire your devotion to those people, but I can’t wrap my head around it.  Blame… my own fiasco when Yokubo separated us.”

So not only did Heaven assign a priest a few pebbled short of a mountain, but a wishy washy hypocrite with baggage too heavy and plentiful for Seiten Taisei to care for. Figured.

“How come you aren’t doubled over?”

Antei shrugged. “I suppose erasing a sensation or two is acceptable.”

“What happened to all that not playing god talk?”

Rubbing his side, Antei shrugged. “I don’t fancy playing punching bag either.” His frown returned, and he sighed. “All that said and done, you should have the advantage.”

Why did he say it like that? Of course, if all Yokubo had going for him was tricks, then just by scent alone Seiten Taisei could defeat him. He didn’t see himself losing against some cave-dwelling recluse.

Granted, he’d be covered in dirt afterward, but sometimes sacrifices must be made.

“Not to beat a dead horse, but I am curious why you care so much for some village.”

For fuck’s- Seiten Taisei’s body tensed, but he caught a glimpse of exhaustion in Antei’s eyes, and it disarmed him.

Because they solidified his name.

That had to be it.

“The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, named by humans?”

“Humans didn’t name me. I did. I belong to myself, but anything related to my name is something I’m obligated to protect.”

Who gave someone their name didn’t make the name anymore special than naming oneself. It could be the best name in the world, but if that person had no encouraging influence to his life, they didn’t matter.

What mattered were the people that  _ made  _ that name worth anything.

“It’s  _ my  _ name, and anything or anyone related to is mine to watch over.”

“And if someone gave you a name instead?”.

“It wouldn’t be  _ my  _ name then.” Not to mention he’d have to  _ answer  _ to that person. Hell no.

Antei narrowed his brown eyes. “Parents look after the children they name, you realise.”

“Not all of em. And that’s not the point.”

“Then even I fail to understand what you mean, Seiten Taisei. A name may be a gift to some. A blessing to others.”

“And damnation for the rest?”

Antei spared no answer, and once more the duo fell to silence.

Further onward, Seiten Taisei felt increasing energies. And a dim silver light up ahead down the narrowing cave tunnel.

Something rolled under his foot, and Antei kept him from proceeding any further. He held up his hand in a gesture akin, but not exactly, to praying, with a deep frown and disgust permeating from his dark brown eyes.

Seiten Taisei followed his stare. Under his foot lay human bones. Ahead and around him, human bones sprawled across the cave. Utterly decrepit from ages to only a few _months_ just by their scent, and barely draped by tattered civilian and priestly robes.

The more intact remains displayed fingers diving into eye sockets or wrapped up around throats, be they their own or another pile of remains’.

“God _ damn _ …”

Antei, still stone frozen, muttered what only landed as gibberish on Seiten Taisei’s ears, but he figured they some prayer or another. Not that anything dead  _ here  _ had much chance for heavenly ascension.

Then the sutra flashed outward, and a good chunk of the remains eliminated.

“I figure not being left behind in such pitiful states to their memory is the greatest ‘sympathy’ I can offer. I’ll be damned if I leave behind my body after clawing my own eyes and throat out.”

No reverence. No warmth. Just matter of fact statements.

A breathy laugh left Seiten Taisei’s mouth. The man had a talent for bastardising any sort of priestly ethic.  “Pretty sure they’d be damned just by having a priest like you pray for them.”

“You have no idea the pity I feel for any random villager that’s ever requested my services.”

_ “You obliged?” _

“A Sanzo Priest reaps the benefits of a village accommodating to all their needs. And I’m no fool.”

It’d take absolute  _ heathens  _ to take in a graveyard without so much as a blink of an eye, and these two fit the bill better than anyone else.

Antei’s nonchalance brushed over troubled miasma. “Still, you’d think this a scene out of Hell itself. This certainly explains why no one ever left thi-”

He caught Seiten Taisei kicking a skull around like a children’s ball, yanking him back by his hair.

“If it’s all the same to you, I came here to face a Heretic, not troubled spirits that you anger.”

The sage flashed a wry smile. “Same here. I don’t do haunted shit.”

“Then let’s be on our way.”

It didn’t matter how hard they ignored them, skeletal remains still lay scattered like flower petals on the damp ground, all dragged down by heavy energy. Seiten Taisei wagered the energy broke down the more recent remains and corpses. Eating at them,  _ consuming  _ them, as if a conscious creature all on its own.

_ Good luck dragging the East Army in here _ . He could see the Dragons in here no problem, but run of the mill soldiers? As if. Not unless you sentenced them to an eternity of solitude down here.

Moving around and over bones, Antei paused, and the Muten Sutra shuffled along his shoulders.

“Look alive.”

Seiten Taisei already heard that damned chain again.

Seiten Taisei spotted it out of the corner of his eye. He whipped around to catch the chain, but at the last second, noticed two things:

1) the weapon’s blade, completely intact.

In a flurry, the blade kept weaving back and forth from the depth of darkness to attack.  No matter how many times the sutra worked its magic, the blade always reappeared.  And in the intervals Seiten Taisei thought Antei finally got rid of it, the fucking thing managed to fray up his robes.

His frustration and irritation yanked him into the second realisation.

2) His own reflection in the cave wall. With the blade right behind him.

In the confusion, he failed to dodge. He’d have to take full brunt of the attack.

Before impact, the first thing he heard was the blade piercing through clothing and flesh, with the chain crisply stopped in place. No pain yet, but weight pushed against the wall. Curiously, he felt the most pain from the wall’s rigged surface dig into his face, and that only felt as bad as getting pinched, along with small rivulets of water streaking his face.

Still, he didn’t feel blood seep through his clothes and pour down his back. His back was warm, but not the sort of warmth from blood, or the sharp heat of a blade.

He reached over to pull the blade out, but what he felt was not a blade.

He straightened up, all his senses kicked into high gear. Slumped against him and sliding down to his knees, Antei clutched his sides, coughing violently when the blade and chain retracted from his chest and back into the cave’s darkness.

Keeping him from falling to his knees, Seiten Taisei felt blood cover his hands.

“What…?”

Antei grimaced, his hands covering his bloodied chest. “We both… Mistook where the attack came from, it seems.” He swayed, and for a second,his arms lost the strength to cover the wound, but he forced composite back, every muscle in his body strained and tensed. “I wish I could say I covered you or something, but the fact remains I was just as much a fool as you were just now.”

Seiten Taisei found nothing to say. He was no stranger to seeing people die. But _never_ had someone he fought alongside attained so much of a scratch. Even on missions working with those that scorned him, he never failed to keep them from harm’s way.

Why the hell did this become an exception? That was all he could think to say. He didn’t know what he should say right now. Didn’t know how to process what happened. His mind drew blank after blank, but Antei expressed no shock or agony.

Instead, Seiten Taisei watched him lower himself to the ground, pressing his robed over the wound. Resting his eyes, his emotions might as well be unreadable, but, very distinctly, feelings of calm and pride surrounded him.

That didn’t seem normal. It puzzled Seiten Taisei even more.

To make matters worse, he  _ smiled _ , looking down where the ‘light’ came from, and one hand tightened around his prayer beads.

“I don’t know what I expected…” Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.  “But it appears I really  _ can’t  _ be bothered helping you for the sake of some random village.”

“You’ve been a prick since I met you!  IT feels like every time you’ve spoke you just got less and less tolerable, and now you’re lettin’ some random thing kill ya?!  With how much you’ve tested my patience that should’ve been  _ my  _ job!”

Antei grimace turned to a scowl, shirking Seiten Taisei away.  “Because of  _ this cave _ .”

Because of the cave?  What fucking relevance did the cave have in all this?  It smelled like shit and made Seiten Taisei sick to his stomach and in overall was an absolute bitch to walk though.  Whatever Antei was trying to get at didn’t matter.  Fuck the cave.  Seiten Taisei didn’t feel like receiving a lecture on it.

_ He’s dying.   _ He already felt the blood on his hand _ s  _ dry up.   _ All the times I’ve wasted energy keeping Heaven’s army ants from getting their asses torn and this fuckin’ ‘priest’ has the goddamn nerve to screw up and die right in front of me when he should be reciting chants and eatin’ like a rabbit. _

And taking it  _ so well. _ . Living beings are supposed to clutch for breath they take, not sit idly and let them slip by. 

Could he make death more pathetic?

***

The Heavenly Eastern Sea saw everything. Goko knew that. But instead he opted to not spy on the War God’s progress.  He and his army narrowly avoided getting sent to Chaand more as a punishment for Seiten Taisei’s entrance to Heaven than anything else.  He felt no need to rock the boat.

Given the inaction from the other Dragon Kings, that seemed a blood-borne trait.

He put his efforts into focusing on the the crystal clear waters.  He wouldn’t pry on Seiten Taisei himself, but, maybe, just maybe, see how his village fared.

Violet clouds diluted his sea’s waters, and Jizo Bosatsu’s face appeared.

“I apologise for the surprise visit.”

Indifferent, Goko nodded. “You’re better than some unwanted guests I share this territory with. You’re aware of what Seishi stirred up, right?”

“When am I  _ not  _ is the question.”

Sighing, Goko pinched the bridge of his nose.  “I don’t understand  _ why  _ Heaven leaves that woman to her own devices.”

Jizo closed his eyes and hummed to himself. “She is as cruel as she is beautiful. Were she to run into a starving man, to yp shed lead him to a lion’s den to end both their hungers.”

Goko didn’t disagree. Seiten Taisei merely satiated Seishi’s vanity. Still, he didn’t peg her as a ‘liar’.

As always, Jizo picked up on his thoughts. “It is true. Her capabilities aren’t for show, Heaven can’t deny her credit as the Goddess of Wisdom. And as far as deceiving goes, Yokubo is the expert.”

“You speak as if you’ve encountered him.”

For a moment, Jizo looked down, his wrinkled face older than usual. “Him I’ve never met, but there are plenty souls I’ve come across lamenting their fates against him.”

Goko always heard that the Heretic  _ never  _ whomever entered his cave. It led him to the conclusion that the dreams he cast simply starved and exhausted a mortal of their own volition. It could technically never be Yokubo who killed them.

“Why on Earth send a human priest to assist Seiten Taisei then…”

“Acting in a whim seems to be Seishi and Kanzeon’s greatest weakness and strength.”

Unnatural violet light overcame the red hues behind Jizo and dropped from its sky. Jizo hit his monk’s staff on the ground, and white hot light dispersed the violet haze.

“Jizo Bosatsu.” Goko’s icy eyes narrowed. “What was that?”

“It was…” He shook his head. “To put it simply, an invasion of this damnable place’s power. Every time a surge like that permeates here, a bit of it is lost.”

Interesting.  “As if suctioned out?”

“I fear so. And that creature may be the core of it.”

***

“Forget the cave and whatever self-pity you’re wallowin’ in and get up, Antei!”

Antei yanked the front of Seiten Taisei’s robe. “You are  _ stronger  _ than your enemy.” He sighed. “But that’s only physically, your sense of smell gives you an edge, but his illusions, the sheer stock of his supernatural abilities, I fear are greater than yours.  Don’t waste your energy getting upset at me.”

Somehow, the ‘priest’ had enough authenticity to have his words calm Seiten Taisei down.  Or, more than likel, the mere assumption Yokubo could possess any aspect greater than the sage who used the Earth to heal himself? Sure. 

He summoned nyoi-bo, tossing it to Antei.  Round two, asshole.

“Again with this?  You realise a weapon would be-”

With a laugh, Seiten Taisei flexed his claws. “If I’m stronger than him, I don’t need a weapon. 'sides, you won’t get far without something to support yourself.  And I’m not haulin’ your ass out, let alone smelling your body once miasma starts making a den in your corpse.  So take the hint and at least leave and die somewhere less pathetic.”

He wouldn’t need nyoi-bo in a fight. He _never did_. It added excitement, sure, but requiring it? Out of the question. In his sorry state, Antei needed it more than him.

“You have a way with words.”  Antei’s smile widened.  “Just one last warning - given my time with you has only been a few hours, I can’t help but think you seem a little off.  And as I said, this cave-”

“To hell with the cave.”  Seiten Taisei relaxed against the wall, hands linked behind his head. 

The state of his village was his top priority, with Yokubo as the #1 obstacle between him and freedom. The creepy bastard should’ve sent Seiten Taisei’s blood into a boil for him just existing.

Yet another side of his blood boiled with excitement. The same as against Tsuroi and Gokin. Adrenaline that rushed at the aspect of an enemy even slightly on his own level. Not to mention, they shared heretical existences. Ones the Heavens feared.

“I could always team up with the guy and _really_ fuck Heaven up,” he muttered.

Of course, he was joking. His claws and fangs ached for nothing short of putting the like-minded creature in his place. Sealing him wasn’t the same, but he’d make do.

“Maybe seeing illusions or whatever weird shit that was of my people’s corpses fucked with me a bit. Who would’ve guessed.” It came out casually, with a laugh at the end. Similar to Antei’s dismissive tone.  “And all I’ll admit about this place is that it makes me wanna vomit.”

Distract himself as he might, nausea never left him, and instead churned between tolerable and miserable at random. What was fish swimming in his stomach turned to a ball of ice.

He pushed himself off the wall, stretching. “Well, it’s been fun.”

“No words of encouragement?”

“If you’re gonna be dumb enough to adamantly refuse using your sutra to heal fatal wounds, you don’t need comfort.” He tapped the side of his head. “Ya need a therapist.”

Antei furrowed his brow, and his arm visibly strained to hoist his body up with nyoi-bo. The blood of his injuries spread and bled more and more of his pristine white robes, but as expected, the priest did away with the sensation of pain he should feel. His body still endured difficulties, but his mind failed to register them.  That had to be the only thing keeping upright.  Numbness. 

When the pair turned around, the exit was no more than a few feet ahead of them. Like the good hour walking through the cave never happened.

Seiten Taisei gritted his teeth. _ Damn that thing _ .  “So either the walk was a dream its own…”

“Or I am walking into a trap,” Antei finished. There was no anger in his tone, no worry. Not even acceptance of his fate. Just a plain voice speaking flat words. And without another, he walked ahead, and kept walking without looking back, till finally even Seiten Taisei could not make out his figure in the exit(?)’s moonlit night.

Left alone, Seiten Taisei rubbed the back of his neck. Did he feel bad? No, he didn’t think so. Not for letting Antei get gravely injured.

The ball of ice punctured his ribs.   He didn’t kid himself, Antei’s extension of cameraderie might have been genuine, to some degree, but both knew it’d been a means to an end.  And the idiot up and got tricked into getting a gaping wound in his body.

_ Bah, fuck 'im _ .  As if he had the time to worry about some guy he knew for a few hours over himself and his village.   _ Not my fault he decided to tag along this far. _

It wasn’t like he never saw humans die. That happened plenty. He’d watch ceremonies in the village from afar of death. Be it the elderly ill in harsh winters or malnutrition striking children and parents alike down. That was just how it panned out. Natural and nigh impossible to defy.

He opened his eyes - when did they close?

Like  _ hell  _ he’d let something preventable wipe them out.

That electrifying sensation shocked up his spine, mixed with the fierce miasma, and both rippled and clashed against one another. It crawled out skulls as centipedes and spiders. Dripped down stalagmites into dirty puddles of water. Dipped his claws and fangs into muddy blood.

He heard the chain’s weaving. Tuned into its every direction, till, like clockwork, the blade came into sight, reflected by the wall it cracked and fitting perfectly into the full moon visible in puddles surrounding him.

He stopped it dead in its tracks. Nyoi-bo returned to him, following the chain’s tension till it collided with whatever lie ahead. the chain till it snapped like a twig and dissolved, and he followed suit, shortening the staff to its typical length.

A pile of yellowed remains took up the path. His first instinct - jump over it. But deeper, primal instincts had him moving without thinking , just like usual.

He stopped his foot down atop a skull, feeling the height of their clashing presences, unaware of the violet marks swirled under his golden eyes, and smiled in the direction his opponent waited.

“Have fun fucking with me?” His taunts met silence, but wind blew him towards something. Someone. “I’ll rip you to _ fucking shreds  _ and seal whatever’s left!”

The edge of the cave made itself clear, illuminated by the moonlight piercing the cenote and lake, and a figure atop rock growing out the water, gripping a silver moon blade and watching Seiten Taisei with ophidian, golden eyes.

In his excitement, Seiten Taisei crushed the skull beneath him. Every inch of his soul and body and mind burnt with fire raging through, and the Earth shuddered in his presence.

 


	17. Scattered

_Swimming mackerel_

_Within the cenote's centre_

_Moonbeams light the way_

_And dip its scales in silver_

_Stained by the fiends beneath Earth_

 

A creature pale as bone and ash. A painting the artist forgot to colour and shade.  
  


_Yeah, fuck this._   
  
  


Seiten Taisei lunged for Yokubo, but his fist met only rock. His hair stood on end. Fist breaking rock and swallowed up by murky waters. Behind him, Yokubo sat where he had stood.  
  
  


With nyoi-bo, Seiten Taisei stopped himself from submerging. The water smelled repugnant. Rotten. Thick. Worse than rotten fish. It clung to his fist and felt heavier than normal water. It didn’t drip down his finger tips. It _oozed_. Like worms.  
  
  


He landed on another rock in the far back. Ridges behind him could provide cover. As if he needed it. And Yokubo sat across from him,  
  
  


Yokubo smiled. A strange smile. Something lifeless, emotionless. Devoid of any… Mindfulness.

  
  


_Like a puppet._ …  
  
  


A weightless finger pointed at - no, beyond Seiten Taisei. Paired off by a low, airy chuckle.

 __  
Creepy bastard… What’s he pointing at?  
  
  


Behind rock, Seiten Taisei made out a round, shiny object. Similar to a normal Buddhist priest, but smaller, with a healthier, warmer glow.

  
  


Some Monk’s acolyte? How the hell did the kid last this long? His monk must have already kicked the can by now.  
  
  


_Why's this kid still alive?_   
  
  


Seiten Taisei lowered nyoi-bo. “What’s your deal? If he hasn't killed ya yet ya coulda made a break for it.” The kid's no use to him. He had to get outta the way.  
  
  


The kid didn't budge. Only gulped, wide-eyed at the cave's exit.  
  
  


Yokubo’s smile fell, and he tilted his head. His eyes sized the kid up and down, wordlessly, blankly.  
  
  


He opened his mouth, mist creeping out the corners of his mouth. His bony finger pointed towards the cave’s exit.  
  
  


“Go.”

The acolyte, understandably, didn’t move a muscle. He steered clear of Seiten Taisei and Yokubo, adamantly ignoring the corpses dotting his path.  
  
  


“I’ve no need for you,” Yokubo rasped, “off you go.”  
  
  


With heavy steps, the boy waded through the cenote’s shallow water. It slipped against him, unlike the oozing water Seiten Taisei touched.  
  
  


He walked past Yokubo unharmed. More like scurried, not looking back at even his late mentor’s body. Soon, his figure disappeared beyond the cave, but Seiten Taisei still heard his bare feet tap on the damp rock.   
  
  


_Whatever_. He snorted, aiming the staff at Yokubo. This time he’d get closer, just walk a couple steps and-  
  
  


Water submerged his body, and below the murky depths he made out _something_ writhing about like seaweed. Nyoi-bo pulled him from the water, where he inhaled deeply, not so much out of a need to breathe than out of shock.  
  
  


He saw the object in full view now. A banyan tree, living and moving, with its branches whipping beneath like voracious snakes.  
  
  


They sprouted out. Hissing. Creaking. Seiten Taisei flexed his claws, ready to cut each and every branch down and tear the tear apart from its roots. At the last second, the branches snapped to the cave’s exit. Seiten Taisei heard the acolyte. Not screaming. Something beyond that. Utterly primal. No different from a pig’s squealing when butchered and gutted. The cracking and tearing of bone and flesh when torn and skinned.  
  
  


The branches dragged beneath the surface, leaving nothing but muffled cries. Bubbles popped rapidly in a single spot.

  
  


Then everything stopped.

  
  


Silent. Just like that.

  
  


Blood didn’t stain the waters. Nothing left of him floated to the top. He’d been wiped from existence.

  
  


Yokubo sat without a single lick of emotion. Whilst Seiten Taisei made the quickest move away from the banyan tree as possible, as high as nyoi-bo allowed in the cenote.

  
  


He didn’t know the kid. Any disgust felt stemmed from Yokubo's reaction, rather lack thereof. At least if he gloated or waxed lyrical over the mess, he’d pass off as 'typical’ in the sage’s book. His silence made him worse. He watched Seiten Taisei with the eyes of a dead fish.

  
  


Seiten Taisei felt the hair on the back of his neck begin to rise. Yokubo's eyes might have been dead, but there was no doubt about it.

  
  


“A shame.” Yokubo shook his head. “It's always a waste eliminating parts of myself like that. Even ignorance may be useful in the future.” He shrugged. “Too late now.”

  
  


_'Parts of myself'...?_

  
  


Didn't matter. Not to Seiten Taisei.

  
  


_***_   
  
  
  


The ‘world’ known by 'all’ belonged to His mind.  
  


'His’ being the Little Moon King.  
  
  


Indeed, he branded himself the king of this cave, with its reflective walls and a perpetually full moon surrounding him. The Little Moon Cave. It earned that name by the way the moon, full as it could be, illuminating all within, always looked small and unassuming from under the cenote. Truly an uncreative name and not one of the Little Moon King’s best.  
  
  


To be fair, He had no named it personally, rather one of the many endless remnants of his consciousness running around outside the 'world’. Clearly, they weren’t a very clever nor imaginative remnant. It’d be best to grow out of its traits, reform or discard it, rather than truly embrace it. A shame, he found he discarded more of himself than embrace.  
  
  


He knew if he embraced enough parts, he’d be free of the cave. Whole enough to move and travel the 'world’ as he knew it. Thankfully discarding held no consequences, but it got him no closer to freedom. At the most, it cleansed him of just one more morsel of unsavoury mannerism.  
  
  


Ah, but thus far, the parts he embraced! Monks disciplined in hardy routines and dedication. All with their faults, but largely overshadowed by incredible will! Yes, some fell to cowardice and begging, but the benevolent Little Moon King thought them to be inexperienced parts striving for survival instincts in this ever-changing 'world’, so he embraced them and their cowardice and will without prejudice.  
  
  


That made the Sanzo Priest all the more special. A composed, blunt man. Disciplined, but not chained down by his lifestyle’s restrictions. A perfect mix of power and foolhardy. The Little Moon King suspected him to be a valuable, _vital_ remnant. One he should have embraced, but alas, the king, overzealous by this wonderful remnant, this puzzle piece to Him, instead discarded it. His vice of acting without thinking, the worst of them all. In the ultimate act of self-destruction, he rejected the Sanzo Priest and lost a part of Himself.

Impulsive behaviour, well-known for its consequences. The Little Moon King knew it all too well.  
  
  


So then, why was it he could not being himself to eliminate the golden eyed part? He came in unannounced and full of foolhardy impulses. Utterly hedonistic and brash, with an I’ll temper and selfish love for fame and freedom. The priest’s utter opposite.  
  
  


No, it was not that he could not bring himself to eliminate all that represented his faults. The sage represented his faults so profoundly, so completely, that he, too, was a vital puzzle piece to Him. With no desirable traits, overcoming and rejecting such a part proved impossible. This, truly a battle against His own demons, was a test ushered by Himself - perhaps by the higher forms of himself still out of reach, waiting to be embraced by Him when he was strong enough to recollect them.  
  
  


Yes, that was it! A battle against all his demons in one part. The ultimate effort of self-improvement. This part, full of vice and flaw, _had_ to embraced, otherwise he’d never reconcile all parts of him into his whole identity and rid himself of this cave with the demon’s strength. Their eyes, matching gold, proved them to be two halves of one. The embodiment of His vices would be embraced, and Him that much closer to being complete.  
  
  


Many parts of him roamed about, aimless bits of his mind with now place of belonging. If he could leave, he could recollect them and fully embrace himself.  
  
  


So, powerful as his Vice may be, he had nothing to fear. The Little Moon King, the only one to observe this 'world’, feared no death of his own. It was simply impossible for a death he could not observe to occur. Thus, he could not die. Just as parts of him never died nor feel pain he never felt. Those faults he saw only disappeared as he rejected the notion of ever seeing them again.  
  
  


This being, the Little Moon King, undying, ever-changing, embracing and rejecting parts of him to complete himself. He became a being so scattered that his different parts all applied his traits to the life he perceived for them. Ultimately, he created incredible buildings, savoury foods, and brilliant lessons.  
  
  


Imagine the things he’d do if he were complete.

***

By the time Seiten Taisei regained his footing, Yokubo disappeared. All that remained – the sound of the chain slinging through the air.

  
  


_This again?_   
  
  


Seiten Taisei readied himself, discerning the blade’s true path long before it appeared. He caught the chain with nyoi-bo. Broke it. Watched the weapon dissolve into light as it returned to its master once more.  
  
  


Again it flew. Seiten Taisei caught it. The weapon lighter than expected. Slack. He pulled the stave to his feet. Watched it disappear without a trace. Where the hell did Yokubo go?  
  
  


At creaking behind him, Seiten Taisei whirled to its source.  
  
  


In an instant, it felt like his chest peeled away from him. No, it split. From the tip of his shoulder to the opposing ribs. The air left his lungs and ice cold air rushed into his body.

There was blood on Yokubo’s claws. Not his own. Seiten Taisei’s.  
  
  


Nyoi-bo dug into the ground. It pushed Seiten Taisei away. The force more than he intended, his back crashed into one of the reflective walls. He collapsed to hands and knees, able to only watch splatters of shiny red blood fall out his body into a thinned out puddle on the damp ground.  
  
  


_This is some kinda joke._   
  
  


It felt too real to be a trick. A pain that crept its way to every nerve possible.  
  
  


 _Smelled_ too real. And Seiten Taisei had no interest being this well-acquainted with his blood’s coppery scent. It made his stomach churn, mixed with heavy miasma and a pounding heart.  
  
  


“Fuck…”  
  
  


Holding a hand to his wound didn’t do a bit of good. Just overheated his hand. Standing? It felt like the world flipped upside down. His heart dropped with a ring in his ears. He stumbled to his knees, determined to keep upright. He couldn’t lie like a sick dog. Where the hell did Yokubo go?  
  
  


When was the last time he’d been hurt like this? Had he _ever_ been this hurt?  
  
  


No. Because it should have been impossible for any being alive to best the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.

  
  


He heard chains dragging through rocky dirt and puddles. Hollow breathing. All getting closer to him. Perfectly unharmed and upright. Content with putting Seiten Taisei through the utmost disgrace to his reputation and pride.

 

He was a few steps away from killing the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.

  
  


He couldn’t move. His whole body felt like lead. No matter the train he put on his muscles, they gave out on him. Useless and weightless thanks to blood loss. He rolled himself on to his stomach. That was the most he could do. Blood slipped down his flanks and mixed with ice cold water. With his clothes turned to rags, it provided the only bit of warmth.

  
  


_Breathing_ took effort. Tonnes of thousands of rocks might as well settled down on his lungs.

  
  


Was that really all it took to take him down? A cheap attack and shock?

  
  


Yokubo’s slow movements told him so. A being in no hurry to dispose of his opponent. Nothing short of successful in taking out Seiten Taisei.

  
  


“…”

  
  


Like hell.

  
  


Forcing himself up, Seiten Taisei leaped for the nearest ledge he could. Above the ground, overlooking the cenote’s lake, where the night sky spilled its stars in. He hid from moonlight, as if touching it burnt him to a crisp. The chains stopped rattling. All became still within a cadence of laboured breathing and dripping water.

  
  


If he got enough height over Yokubo, he could get the jump on him.

  
  


_I’m sure of it._

  
  


What, if not this, could drive Seiten Taisei to yield? Clearly nothing. He never, ever had reason to falter. He saw the shattered remains of the mirror shimmer on the ground. Sparkling like tiny treasures. Each piece sharp to the touch, more dangerous broken than when together.

  
  


Injury be damned, if the Great Sage could breathe, he could fight.

  
  


Yokubo’s figure weaved through the darkness in tendrils. The unnatural air to him added yet another reason he would never defeat Seiten Taisei: shapeless water against eternal earth. No matter how eroded the ocean made rock, deep below would still be earth, keeping the ocean there in the first place.

  
  


Seiten Taisei braced himself, a lion on the prowl with hackles raised.

  
  


Pain cracked his ribs like twigs. An abrupt gasp interrupted his poise. His hands slipped on blood. He cracked against the ledge below on his back, all functions canceled with the wind knocked out of him. The second he sunk in the water, the oozing liquid overwhelmed his throat and lungs.

  
  


Still, he forced his eyes wide open. The banyan tree disappeared. No writhing branches tore him apart.

  
  


All he saw: a silver-scaled fish swaying next to him. Slow, leisurely.

  
  


Then, in one swift movement, its body whipped to face him.

  
  


With a dull, golden eye.

  
  


Something… Something snapped.

  
  


He yanked for the fish. Leapt out the water, numb to his injury. Blood splattered to his feet, and the fish writhed under his grip against a reflective wall.

  
  


His claws dug into its slimy body. Slipped into it like butter. But if he crushed it, he just wouldn’t be satisfied.

  
  


_How fucking stupid._

  
  


It was… All so fucking stupid. Getting played like that by… This fucking thing.

  
  


“You really tried to drag me down, huh?” Seiten Taisei’s hoarse voice rasped through the cave. A snake wrapping around its prey.

  
  


He freed his claws, slamming the fish to the ground. It flopped, mouth gaping for water.

  
  


To hell with it. To hell with it! This fucking thing made a fool of him, Seiten Taisei, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. A former War God. The proud king to a loyal village.

  
  


He crushed the fish under his foot. Watched violet mist burst from the remains. It crept around his feet. Pooled over the so-called Little Moon King.

  
  


Seiten Taisei flashed in front of him, smacking the moon-shaped blade aside. His claws dug into Yokubo’s skull, pinning him down just like the fish.

  
  


Yokubo’s smug smile was nowhere in sight. His expression meaningless to Seiten Taisei. Meaningless, worthless. Claws tore skin away with glee.

  
  


  
  


  
  


Yokubo gritted his teeth, uttering no response. His face, a bloodied mess, no longer that of a proud ‘king’.

  
  


Crushing his skull in would feel so fucking good right. Goddamn.

  
  


Still, raging bloodlust or not, his village came first. War God or not, he still possessed the power to seal anything he came across.

  
  


Golden spells painted Yokubo’s body, muting an agonised hiss from the being. The letters faded into grey. Hardened and spread.

  
  


With a crackle, the entire Heretic stilled, face contorted in defeat and humiliation.

  
  


Killing him. Tearing him apart for ever trying to one-up Seiten Taisei would’ve been ideal. But… He’d take turning the tables on the bastard as minor compensation.

  
  


Now, all that stood between him and his village’s freedom was the cave’s exit.

 

 


	18. Leftovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> okay so... two more chapter... then im free...

Pieces of a shattered mirror continued to reflect Seiten Taisei's village.

 

Seiten Taisei staggered to his feet, supporting himself with his staff. He stared at Yokubo's petrified body, trapped in karst. He watched the sealed Heretic's form, nitpicking every detail possible for signs of a trick or illusion. He heard his own panting, and the drip-drop of ice-cold water from his clothes and hair, mixed with white-hot blood oozing from his stomach. But nothing from Yokubo. Total silence. His time frozen indefinitely, as cold as the cenote's chill.

 

Once Seiten Taisei stepped outside, the sun would warm his face and the Earth's soft ground would welcome him home, and he'd never have to step foot into this cave again. He feel his strength return to him, and sleep under his favourite peach tree in Heaven once he made his way back.

 

At the cave's mouth, electricity shot through Seiten Taisei before he could make it outside. The shock thust him back inside, slamming his body into the petrified demon. Like broken glass, his body fell to the puddle just below him. Welts stung their way into his hands and arms, leaving him with a jarring contrast of sensations. Slowly, he raised his head, digesting detail after detail of the cave's mouth. Nothing appeared strange about it. As normal as it was on the outside.

 

He stood up, gripping the staff tighter than he ever had, intent on leaving.

 

The same thing happened, only this time the shock and impact hit him harder. Back in the puddle, he felt drained, more so than earlier. His breathing got worse, as well as his sight, but the crack of a twig and aroma of incense outside told him his ears and nose worked just fine.

 

“Well done.” Seishi walked in front of the mouth, kuseri at hand. She wore a smile unlike her trademark smirk. Utterly sincere, like a mother praising her child.

 

Standing tall, she eclipsed the sun from the sage's sight.

 

He clearly heard her voice in his head, looping over and over.

 

_'I'd never set foot in the Lower World.'_

 

Dragging himself back up, the sage approached the cave's mouth a third time. He reached his hand out, stopping short of where the mouth shocked him the last two times. He felt energy and power whizzing all in one tiny space. A thin veil between him and the ground Seishi stood.

 

'Third time's the charm'. That was the saying. But a nagging alarm pressed Seiten Taisei not to touch that veil again. It tugged at his brain and stomach. Telling him not to get his hopes up. But the goddess' presence told him that it was just some joke. She was playing some stupid joke on him, and making her appearance meant the end of it.

 

Against his instincts, he reached out, again shocked back into the depths of the cave, slamming into the same petrified demon, falling into the same puddle. Outside, the wind blew leaves around, with Seishi's scarf flowing along languidly.

 

Looking down in the puddle, the sage swallowed.

 

“Why... are you here?”

 

Seishi inhaled smoke, blowing it inside the cave. “That's not the question you want to ask, is it?”

 

Seiten Taisei's claws dug into the hard ground, barely leaving the indent they normally would, seemingly duller than even a _human's_. His heart caught in his throat, weary to the foreign weakness his whole body felt.

 

Unable to meet her violet stare, the sage watched his own eyes in the puddle, and repeated one word: “Why?”

 

His reflection revealed a being with ophidian eyes, fangs, and claws. No different from an animal. And right now, he faced a wild animal's dreaded question.

 

_Why can't I get out?_

 

The exit was right there. The shrill of cicadas and chirping of birds, everything covered over by a warm sun. He smelled fresh fruit, blooming flowers, and the grass breathing in early morning dew.

 

It, it was right outside - his natual habitat, right in front of him. Looking down in the puddle, the mottled greys and stone, all wet and cold, he saw nothing his gold eyes recognised as natural. In the pit of his stomach, it was all wrong. This was all wrong. How drained he felt. Being trapped in a cave. Being cut-off from his rightful home. Seishi being in the Lower World. Her _smile_.

 

Pain hunched him over, his legs and hands drenched by the water. Anger clotted his throat. Everything flared up, white-hot and boiling.

 

A roar rattled the cave. Stalactites speared the ground, worst of all landing in front of the cave's mouth. The sage's instincts moved him in time to avoid one landing right into the puddle, and he clawed at the stalactites barring him from his exit. His claws slipped and broke against them, seemingly immune to what should have been his immense strength. They all spaced out just enough that the sage got a good look of Seishi's face. Still smiling, still relaxed.

 

Reaching between the stalactites, the sage couldn't even reach the 'veil', and scraped at empty air. If he could get any close, it'd the goddess' face he dug those claws into.

 

Goddess of Wisdom twirled strands of her hair. “It appears your temper tantrums haven't lost their edge just yet.”

 

“What did you do?” A deep growl wrapped into the sage's throat. “ _What did you do?”_ He lunged for her, his head banging against the stalactite, failing make it budge, let alone destroy it. “Get me out!”

 

“I'm afraid I can't do that.” Shrugging, Seishi blew smoke into the cave. “This is all on you.”

 

Struggling, the sage inched closer and closer. “What did you do?!”

 

She lied to him. They made a deal. They made a _fucking deal_ that sealing Yokubo would be all it took to dissuade Heaven from giving him a hefty punishment and forcing him to abandon his village. He'd be completely pardoned. What the fuck was _this?_

 

“I did not lie to you,” the goddess said, “nor did I intentionally hide anything from you. I have told you, time and time again, that your ignorance of Heaven would be nothing but trouble for you, did I not?”

 

The sage strained his shoulder. “What the... hell are you talking about?”

 

Seishi dropped her smile. “Allow me to reiterate: I did not lie to you. You simply didn't listen to all I had to say.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“This would've happened whether or not I told you, but I always say it serves people right when bad things happen to them after not listening to the _Illustrious_ _Goddess of Wisdom.”_

 

Seiten Taisei lunged for her. Failed. Felt a drop in his entire being from exhaustion. Felt the last of his energy spiral out of him through venomous words. “Spit it out! What the hell did you do to me?!”

 

Seishi brushed her bangs back, still eclipsing the sun, forcing a halo of light around her body. “I told you – seal the Heretic residing in Chaand, and you would not be subjected to seeing your village deteriorate in your absence. That is all.”

 

“ _So why the hell am I stuck in here?”_  
  
The goddess sighed. “Because not once did I explicitly say you'd be pardoned.” She cast a sweet smile. “You simply believed that that was implied. Surprisingly optimistic, given your personality.”

 

Only out of confusion did the sage stop reaching out. His arm slacked, anchoring him from slumping to his knees. Sweat curved down his cheek. Mist below him curved around his feet and hands, and pooled over where the seal cut the cave off.

 

Seishi Bosatsu looked down at him. On him. “The Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Seiten Taisei, and the Little Moon King, Yokubo. One born from the lotus stone closest to Heaven. The other born from a point closest to Hell itself. Two very different _energies_ born into existence at the same time. It's only natural that you two... cancel each other out, so to speak.

 

Another stalactite fell, cutting off Seiten Taisei's view of Seishi, but he voice range clear as day in his ears.

 

“Which of the two energies do you think would be more potent?”

 

He knew the answer, but said nothing.

 

“It's right to assume it's you. That's the main reason we – rather I – sicced our former War God on him in the first place. You are bursting with power unparalleled and unlike anything I have seen.” She crouched down to his level, but her violet eyes pierced into him, daggers through butter. “But even _you_ have to have your limits – after all, you're practically the bastard child of not only Earth, but Heaven. For such an anomaly such as you to exist, there's no doubt to be an event that... balances out such power. Otherwise we would've known about you the day you first opened your eyes.”

 

Instincts led the sage to look back at the petrified demon, miraculously unharmed by the cave's collapse. “Recycled?”

 

“Yes.” Devoid of warmth, Seishi spoke levelly. As if informing an ant of how her day went. “You are the Great Sage, Seiten Taisei. Born of the Earth's will and Heaven's power. That's a lot of energy. So... if we're to assume a remarkable event such as that would... balance itself out... energy your birthplace couldn't support sunk down to the deepest parts of Earth, seeped into its grounds and burned in the pits of Hell.”

 

A growl grew in Seiten Taisei's throat. “You're saying some damn fish might as well be my brother.”

 

“He's more like your shadow. Maybe even a shikigami of sorts Earth formed to keep its problem child in check. Everything the Gods feared you to be – he embodied. Be he merely a fish malformed by fiends of Hell amassing into one will, or his own person born with the knowledge to use some fish for his own deeds.”

 

His body as heavy as stone, the Great Sage lost the energy to fight though the stalactites. Straining his head, he saw beams of sunlight poke through the trees' foliage.

 

“How... do I get out?”

 

“You can't.”

 

Be it paper, a stone, or charm of some kind, a 'vessel' acted as a shikigami's core existence. Without it, the shikigami would cease to exist. It went without saying that sealing a shikigami always worked best by sealing it within its own vessel.

 

To say Seiten Taisei's energy was Yokubo's 'vessel' was to say that sealing that energy succeeded in sealing a shikigami in its vessel all the same.

 

“Be it in your body or his, it is still all your energy. Anchored to Earth's will. Energy you've sealed not ten minutes ago. So. Whether you call it your energy, _chi_ , or even _prana_ , the core of the matter-”

 

_You just sealed your own life force within this ice-cold cave._

 

Another stalactite fell, cutting off any light.

 

Outside, the Goddess waited a moment before continuing.

 

“Of course, given you sheer power, and where it comes from, it won't be long until your energies both recycle out into new forms again, born in the same place as the first. It won't be instant.”

 

The Great Sage Equalling Heaven's seal over himself would never last forever. One existence stagnates in favour of a new one. Not exactly reincarnation, more like regression. Given his powers, the seal, ultimately on Earth, would last hundreds of years, maybe push into the thousands. In Heaven, Seishi theorised her son would be a young man by then.

 

“Oh, that's it...”

 

Seishi Bosatsu smiled to herself, feeling a cool breeze wrap around her skin.

 

“This is splendid inspiration...”

 

_Look below the sun_

_And past the warming daylight_

_There is never one blessing_

_Not distorted by a curse_

_Under the moon's night_

 


	19. Smoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter to the main story. All that's left is the epilogue.

Antei Sanzo made it as far as a large tree that stood outside Little Moon Cave. He didn’t feel tired or pained. The tree seemed a decent place to take it easy. It had a nice view, too. Lush green grass, tonnes of peonies in full bloom, the sunrise brightening everything below with its warm glow. A wonderful sight - the trail of blood he left notwithstanding.

  
  


He could relax here, unburdened by pain - by _any_ sensation. Just close his eyes and rest. Especially now that he didn’t have Seiten Taisei to babysit.

  
  


_Yokubo is his problem. I did my part._

  
  


Even if it _did_ cost him his life, he found comfort knowing failing and succeeding didn’t matter on death’s door. The Gods could complain all they wanted and Antei didn’t have to hear a single bit of it.

  
  


“That’s quite the optimistic view on death you got there.”

  
  


_So much for that._

  
  


Antei grimaced, not bothering to look up at who spoke. They had a deep, calm voice, similar to the Three Aspects - but this stranger showed more personality in one sentence that Antei never heard in his celestial taskmasters.

  
  


Still, it almost made him laugh how stubbornly Gods climbed into his ass.

  
  


He’ll humour them. “And you are?”

  
  


After a pause, the stranger responded, “The Goddess of Mercy, of course.”

  
  


She had as much mercy as a pig had restraint.

  
  


“So you’re the Goddess -” Scratch that, the dead had nothing to lose. “You’re the bitch that got me in this mess.”

  
  


  
“That’s right.” Kanzeon Bosatsu didn’t miss a beat. “And you’re the misfit Sanzo Priest who just loves to use his position for a free meal.”

  
  


What other use did the position have? Whatever. She wasted enough of Antei’s time.

  
  


“So what of Seiten Taisei?”

  
  


“He defeated his foe, but not without being imprisoned himself.” She sighed, or huffed, in a way that reminded Antei of smoking. “According to the one responsible for this task, it’s technically a fair outcome. And as for his village... well, they're confined to whatever fate bestows upon them now.”

  
  


She made it sound like it wasn’t her doing. Which made her a meddling Goddess that dragged Antei into something he had nothing to do with. How comforting.

  
  


“So I get to die for nothing.”

  
  


“That’s how it is, unfortunately.” Not an inkling of pity. Kanzeon kept a level, matter of fact tone. Absolutely impersonal. “Then again, I don’t think your death goes without its pros. I get the feeling your death marks an end for us being saddled with spineless priests. Which gets depressing after the twelth one gets slaughtered when all he can do is beg on his knees and pray.”

  
  


How flattering.

  
  


She kept going. “You’re a man with more than just a chip on his shoulder in the brink of death. And anyone that you’ve made an enemy of is dead.”

  
  


“I feel plenty alive.”

  
  


“With how much you’re bleeding?”

  
  


Silent crying cut them off. A baby’s silent crying.

  
  


Unfazed, Kanzeon kept talking. “Although I suppose doesn’t hold much weight for someone like you.”

  
  


Antei huffed, staring ahead with hard, dark eyes. He bled more than enough for a normal man. If not for the Muten Scripture, he’d surely be shaking and freezing. Maybe he already was. He couldn’t tell.

  
  


He closed his eyes and rested his head on the tree, hearing the baby whine again. Didn’t Seiten Taisei mention a careless Goddess with a son?

  
  


“You’ve a son, right?”

“Hmph, as if. I’m not much the nurturing type.” She threw a cigarette to the ground. Its weak fire burned a leaf. “I’m… Taking care of him for someone, you could say.”

  
  


“Name him.” Antei grabbed an overhead branch and hauled himself up. His vision should blur and the world should topple - but crisp imagery remained.

  
  


“Is that a dying wish? Once the brat gets a name it’s like someone claims him, y'know.”

  
  


Antei relaxed, smiling. A person made their name mean something, not the name-giver. And discarding a name? Just as possible. Kill off one name and build a new identity. Or keep it and shape it into whatever someone wanted. Everyone held power over their own name: no matter who named the person - _that person_ had all the control over their name.

  
  


It just took some guts.

  
  


“Name the kid. That’s it.”

  
  


Kanzeon muttered to herself. Things Antei paid no attention to. This goddess bitch needed to hurry up, Antei likely had little time left. His body felt nothing, but that didn’t stop his eyes from clouding over. The crisp morning dominated by fog and haze only he saw.

  
  


Kanzeon walked in front of him. She crossed her arms, heaved a sigh. “He’s just my nephew. It’s not like I -”

  
  


Antei checked out. Her lips moved, but nothing mattered. Her words just wasted his remaining time. And he didn’t plan on spending it being irritated. Closing his eyes, he heaved a sigh. His grip on the scripture weakening.

  
  


He let it roll out his palm, and shirked the robe off his shoulders.

  
  


_Might as well make myself comfortable._

  
  


Wind whisked over his shoulders and face. Smelling heavily of pollen and grass, to the point where the air almost tasted like fruit.

  
  


His breathing eased, till finally thick smoke warmed his lungs. Fragrant and strong. It reminded him of carmine hair and eyes.

  
  


_Kyara_.

  
  


Yet, opening his eyes the smoke’s pleasant aroma dissolved into something rotten.

  
  


Blurred as they were, the bandits looming over him - the same from last night. Limbs missing. Their ringleader non-existent.

  
  


Literally, might he add.

  
“You people just don’t learn.”

  
  


Seemingly oblivious to the Goddess before them, angry voices berated Antei. All a jumbled, incoherent mess to Antei. Their anger didn’t matter. What mattered to Antei rest in the thought he’d either be slaughtered by pathetic thieves, or left a dying husk with nothing but the clothes on his back for scavenging animals to feast upon.  
  
  


… _not close enough._

  
  


He struggled to straight up, his body all but a ragdoll. In his right hand, he held prayer beads.  
  
  


“The beads are worth enough. But this scroll is priceless. You can take the beads and leave quietly, or…”  
  
  


Like clockwork, the ragged bandits scrambled towards the Scripture, all a bunch of desperate, scrawny dogs with fur that clung to their bones and mites sucking the life out of them.  
  
  


It only took an instant to respond, and in an instant, not even a trace of the priest remained. Just the scroll at Kanzeon’s feet.  
  
  


“That’s how it is, huh?” Kanzeon picked up the scripture. “Do or die attitudes like that… We really do need more people like that to get anything done around here. Now then...”

  
  


She crouched next to the baby's basket, where he whined restlessly. Nothing but soft rolling skin, violet eyes, and a tuft of golden hair on top of his hair. A cicada made itself comfy above the little tyke's basket. Probably the source of his whining. Kanzeon removed it, and his whines settled down.

  
  


“Naming you? Honestly I never thought about it myself. But if, hypothetically speaking, I managed to convince Seishi to name you herself... it should be a name that sounds resilient. I don't think Antei would settle for anything less.” She poked his forehead, careful not to get her finger caught in his grasp. “What do you think?”

  
  


  
  


***

  
  


After overhearing a commotion outside, a girl in Chaand stepped outside her houseibbling . Near her stood a humble restaurant, where a group of people bunched together, circling something. Curious, the girl squeezed her way through the group, and her face bumped into something long and furry. Her eyes met large, dark eyes.

  
  


_A horse?_

  
  


The horse, large and pure white, sighed and shook his head, unable to back away from the group thanks to its reins, tied in place on a pillar of the restaurant. His eyes met the girl's again.

  
  


Biting her lip, the girl shoved curious strangers away. The horse wanted nothing to do with them, and their nosiness only agitated him. One by one, her forceful nature discouraged patrons, and soon the group vanished, leaving the horse and girl one their own.

  
  


The girl huffed and turned back to the horse. She reached her hand out, and when the horse didn't back from her, she gentle stroked his muzzle. The horse stopped shuffling about, almost resting his large head in the girl's hand. If she remembered right, the horse had been here since yesterday night.

  
  


_What sort of person leaves their horse alone this long? Don't they know how attached horses get to their owners?_

  
  


The girl couldn't imagine how the horse felt. Even if he was used to his owner being gone for so long, that didn't mean he didn't still feel lonely without them.

  
  


She gave the horse the rest of her apple, watching him chew and swallow it up in an instant. Maybe she should get a bucket of water for it as well? Oh, but carrying a full bucket of water and a basket of food all at once sounded like a pain. Maybe she should get her brother to carry something.

  
  


She stroked the horse's muzzle one last time, assuring him his owner would return soon.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The girl and her older brother could be one of two canon brother-sister duos from the manga. Which they are is up to you lol.


	20. Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An epilogue. Two instances tragedy could be prevented. One instance in its aftermath.

Goku explored the Heavens of his own volition. Always drawn in by his curiosity. Peeled from Konzen's side by impulse.

 

Today, he wandered farther than usual. Erupting a ruckus between him and random gods. Specifically gods in uniforms not unlike Kenren's, but pistols brandished silver, not gold. Goku's speed kept him from their grasps, but, lost and unfamiliar with this area, he stopped dead in his tracks at a strange door. An office door with pillars on either side, decorated by flowers and gold ornaments. He stared at the door, drawn to it like moth to a flame.

 

The door opened. A beautiful, tall woman, with tanned skin and trailing brown hair. She wore a dazzling, knowing smile, with pristine, nearly glowing white clothing. For a moment, Goku marveled at her sight. Between old women that freaked out over his eyes and Konzen's aunt with her cheek-breaking pinches, he never saw many women. But this one held beauty and grace in complete balance with her smile.

 

He finally looked her in the eyes, ready to see the same shade of violet as all the other Gods.

 

His eyes widened. He straightened up with a gulp. It wasn't her eye colour nor the look in her eyes that surprised him. It was... the uncanny match to _Konzen's_ in _shape_. They had the same eyes. And that smile with Konzen's eyes just... did not match. It was too different, with no balance whatsoever. Like a demon hiding in holy robes.

 

“Something the matter?” More mixed traits. A calm, almost soothing voice paired with her strong eyes and knowing smile. With a puff of sweet-smelling smoke from her kiseru, she leaned down to Goku's eyes, fixating on him like everyone else did. “So you're the little Heretical chimp I've heard so much about.” She hummed, chuckling. “Well, you don't seem all that bad.

 

 

The woman frowned, losing the light in her eyes. “Can I help you?” Dry, impatient tone. Just like Konzen always sounded.

 

The other guard froze, kneeling at mach speed in front of the woman's feet. “Goddess of Wisdom, I apologise for the commotion.” His head whipped to Goku, scowl deepending when Goku stuck his tongue out at him. “This... animal has been running around the Eastern walls since early this morning.”

 

“So the Dragon King of the Eastern Seas has nothing better to do than make trained soldiers go on a wild goose chase for some simple child? And even then you lot struggle?” She laughed, dryly, mockery vibrating in her tone. “Leave the child to me. Especially if you'll just make such a ruckus over him.”

 

Both men paled under her judgment. The man gripping Goku let him go, offering Seishi a deep bow. Apologising, they take their leave.

 

 

 

“Goku!”

 

Uh oh. Goku knew that shout. The shout of a very pissed off man with shiny golden hair. It made him stiffen, although a large part of him felt relieved at the familiar voice.

 

Not so much once Konzen stomped his way to Goku and dug his knuckles into each side of his head.

 

“You _annoying_ little ape! What the hell possessed you to come _here?!”_ His knuckles drove in more with each scolding, ignoring Goku's protests. “Do you _ever_ stop to think about-!”

 

“My goodness...” Seishi hid a laugh with her hand, brows furrowing. “I did hear that Kannon left you in charge of him, Konzen.”

 

The knuckles stop drilling into Goku's skull. Instead they tug Goku away, almost behind Konzen. Not protective, but definitely cautious. His eyes narrowed. “What have you been saying to him?”

 

Seishi blew smoke in his direction. “Nothing. I haven't even been able to start a conversation with him.”

 

“Unfortunate.” He dragged Goku with him. “We're taking our leave.”

 

“It's been so long since I've seen you and you won't even properly introduce me to your boy there?”

 

The way they spoke... Goku craned his head to Konzen. “You know her, Konzen?” Instead of getting an answer, Goku got tugged along rougher. He felt the woman's stare on the back of his head. “Konzen?”  
  
Konzen paused, but quickened his pace. “Don't bother asking.” He looked back to Seishi, shooting an indifferent stare. “You know his name and you know what I look like. That's more than usual.”

 

Behind, Goku overheard Seishi laugh again, followed by her footsteps going the opposite direction. Her melodic voice called out to him.

 

“Enjoy your stay in Heaven, Goku.”

 

***

 

Li Touten spoke to the Goddess of Wisdom, Nataku in tow. A short conversation. Insubstantial, short-lived.

 

Then Seishi spoke, offering no malice nor kindness. And smiled for herself. Words that she shouldn't know related to Li Touten. But ultimately words verifying her status as the Goddess of Wisdom.

 

“Do keep in mind: _that boy's_ well-being could be key to your next move.”

 

Frozen, Li Touten risked a final glance at the Goddess of Wisdom. His eyes twitched at the sound of her small chuckle.

 

“I'm not interested in involving myself in your affairs, just... do be more careful about your visits to Chaand in the future, yes?” She stood, walking and crouching in front of Nataku, endlessly reflected in his golden eyes. “Be a shame to lose such a fascinating subject.”

 

Sweat dropped down Li Touten's face. White-hot indignance coiling in the pit of his stomach. The Goddess of Wisdom, infamous for her arrogance. She passed it to that useless son of hers. An air of superiority that acted like _nothing_ could touch them. Aristocrats with barely any life to them. No understanding of struggles. Lackadaisical in theirs actions, watching others like ants beneath their polished shoes.

 

A hand on Nataku's head, Seishi graciously bowed her head to Li Touten. “Unfortunately, I've no interest in giving my opinion on your efforts. You'll find I already left some advice for on my desk.” Again, her smile changed. _Mockery_. “Do keep it mind before aiming higher than you were destined for. And you-”

 

Nataku froze, feeling a hand rest on his head. He glued his eyes to the floor, his eyes sinking just as heavily as the ominous feeling growing in his chest.

 

“Should think about your next move with great care.”

 

The pressure left his head. The door closed behind him. Seishi Bosatsu left her office, leaving the War Prince and his fahter to their own devices.

 

'Their'. As any move of Nataku's truly belonged to himself. Biting his lip, Nataku dared not ask his father anything. His feet moved on their own, leading him to the desk, where a single slip of paper rest. The Goddess of Wisdom's final input. Just four lines of advice.

 

 

***

 

500 years pass. Seconds scattered like dust erupts from books left long untouched. Stifling, relentless. Seemingly insignificant. Yet each speck of dust carried someone's life in it.

 

Crystal clear waters reflected a scaled face, only one ice blue eye able to see its imagery. Behind Goko, the King of these seas, his brothers shift about. Standing, Gokin adjusted a cape that covered where his arm used to be, a gold chain securing it to the other side. Gojin took a seat, arms crossed and eyes closed, his pale grey scales like ash in the endless sun. In Gojun's place – a sheathed sword resting beside Gojin.

 

Smoke filled the air, Gokin waving a cigar around with a loud sigh. “They werent screwin' around with lettin' him out?” The water morphed under his words, revealing a mismatched duo trugding down a mountainside. Gokin's lips curl in a snarl. “Un-fuckin'-believeable.”

 

An agreeable silence fell over the three remaining brothers, but Gojin finally broke it.

 

“It's Heaven's word, not ours.”

 

“Who the hell thinks lettin' that little shit-”

 

“Very few.” Gojin shook his head. He didn't have to hear the rest. Few in Heaven appreciated the sentiment behind Goku's imprisonment. A victim not unlike the rest, but for survivors of Heretics, he was nothing short of a threat. “But assuming the worst of him won't help either.”

 

Goko listened to the conversation, his interest in it half-hearted at best. With only three of the Dragon Kings, the balance between them seemed less than usual. Gokin's strict nature – once complimented by Gojun's – had nothing to fall back on. Likewise, Gojin and Goko's rationality had little to counter their thoughts. Debating Goku's freedom was nothing but nonsensical.

 

With a huff, Goko reached in his pocket, pulling out an old, untouched pack of cigarettes. He held out one in Gokin's direction.

 

“Since when did you smoke?” Although curious, Gokin didn't hesitate to flip his lighter on, holding it to the end of Goko's cigarette.

 

Inhaling smoke for the first time, oddly numb to the feel of cheap smoke filling his throat, nose, and lungs, Goko shrugged. “I received them from a former soldier of mine. Something of a parting gift.”

 

Gojin narrowed his eyes. The 'former soldier' whose name no one had to say. “Odd time to use one now.”

 

“I feel it's more than appropriate.”

 

“Some cheap-ass lookin' cigs, though.”

 

Goko nodded. “This tastes awful.”

 

Two smoking and one sitting in silence. A sword without its owner.

 

The waters focused once again on the traveling pair. They spoke in a shed at a holy temple.

 

Bright green eyes glanced below. He sported a nasty smile. “Should place a bet how long he lasts before losin' it.” He blew a puff of smoke out. “I give 'im a week.”

 

“A month at best,” Gojin offered.

 

“No comment,” Goko replied.

 

Naturally, the sword spared no answer.

 

***

 

_Petals of blossoms_

_With reckless abandon, bloom_

_Casting them aside, growing_

_Till their roots give way_

_Making room for more_

 


End file.
